Warframe: By the Sword
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: This is a direct follow on to 'Schisms' and it is NOT for the squeamish. Parts will be confusing. Several points of view will be shown that will eventually collide. Parts will be horrifying. There are some evils that refuse to stay gone. But... there are those who refuse to let those evils run loose no matter the cost. This is a fanfiction. I own none of the rights to Warframe.
1. Chapter 1

**Recruiting**

They hadn't had any warning at all. Before the Corpus personnel even knew the Grineer were there, the filthy clones had infiltrated the complex somehow and deactivated the security systems. Then everything was chaos. Shouts, shooting… It wasn't supposed to be like this. The Grineer were not supposed to be able to attack so quickly and with such devastating force. There hadn't been time to evacuate the non-combatants. The small team of technicians huddled in their secure bunker, praying as they had been taught. The firing outside had stopped, but no one relaxed. The doze non-combatants all knew their fates if the Grineer broke in. The lucky ones would die, gunned down or beaten down. The unlucky ones would spend the rest of their –probably short- lives working as slaves to manufacture weapons for the Grineer. The sole med tech in the secure room fingered her Spectra pistol reluctantly. She had been trained how to use it of course, but she had never had to fire it. She was not a fighter. She had never…

She paused. What was that sound? She stared around at the others who were all kneeling, praying as they had been taught. Begging Profit to send them surcease. But the noise wasn't them. None of them paused in their prayers. She was more flexible than them. She had been reformed that way during her indoctrination when she had shown a propensity for medical technology. She knew a lot about a lot of things. So she knew just how slim their chances actually were. That the chance of a Corpus ship responding to their plight was remote to say the least. She was trained to protect and heal this group however, so she would. She moved carefully through the chanting crowd, seeking the source of the odd noise. At one wall, she felt something odd. A breeze? She stared down at a tiny hole that appeared in the wall and flinched as something came through it. But…

It wasn't a weapon. It wasn't anything she had ever seen before. Indeed, it looked like some kind of insect. Odd looking, metallic. Not organic looking at all. The tiny six legged form looked up at her and she could swear that she was being perused in turn, but that was ridiculous, wasn't it? But then, it jumped impossibly high and she gave a squeak as it landed on the helmet of her space suit. A sharp pain hit her neck and she felt…

Wait a moment. How had she gotten on the floor? Why had the chanting stopped? Why were her eyes suddenly seeing many colors? Why…? She was unconscious before she could fathom what had happened.

None of the chanting techs heard her cry out. Not that it would have helped them at all as eleven more of the tiny insects had entered the room through the hole. Each unerringly sought out a warm body, found a place to grip, cut through the tough Corpus helmets with no effort and bit down, instantly sedating their victim. In moments, the secure room was silent, twelve space suited forms lay still. Then the wall gave a shudder and _something_ cut through it as if the insanely tough metal was as resistant as tissue paper. Another shriek of tortured metal and part of it was torn from the rest. Then another piece was torn out, then another. Finally, what had been a wall was a large wide opening.

A huge armored form entered the room, looking around carefully. It bent down and touched the still med tech. In form, it was humanoid, but… One arm was a long mass of sharp metal. The other had a hand, but the forearm had a large protuberance on it. A whir came from the protuberance as a scanner worked.

"All unconscious." The voice from the armored form was calm and unhurried. "Secure and prepare." It rose and stepped back as a squad of Grineer entered the room. But…

These were not normal Grineer. Instead of helmets, each had an odd fleshy thing over their heads. The bubble like masses only looked flimsy, each was far stronger than steel. Their weapons as well were… different. Instead of Grakata SMGs, Karak or Hind rifles, Ignis flamethrowers or Ogris rocket launchers, these carried small, organic looking weapons that looked toy-like in their hands. But the pistols were anything but toys. Firing darts or stunning beams, they were excellent for taking prisoners, which was the intent here. Each of the soldiers holstered their weapons and started grabbing unconscious techs. But… they were oddly gentle. Each carried one or two of the still forms carefully. After a moment, only the medical tech was left to lie on the floor. The armored form who had come in first picked her up and carried her from what had been a secure room.

As it walked, it passed piles of ash. These were the remnants of the Corpus security forces who had tried to defend the small facility. Without the automated defenses however, they hadn't had a chance. The assault team had tried to take prisoners, and indeed, they had many. But a few of the Elite Crewmen had proved difficult and the assault team had been pressed for time, so…

The med tech moaned as regained partial consciousness.

"Strong." The voice of the armored form was unemotional. "You will serve well."

"Grineer…?" The med tech was dazed and confused. "What…?"

"No." The armored form said flatly. It turned and another soldier laid a small, fleshy thing up against the med tech's skull. She gave out a small noise of pain and slumped unconscious again. "Orders?" The armored form asked as the small force of Grineer entered a Corpus design transport. They had used the ship to gain access to the small facility.

_Prepare them._ The voice of their master was calm and unhurried as always. It came from nowhere and everywhere. _That one will serve well._

The transport bore little resemblance internally to any Corpus ship anymore. Now, the walls and floor were all carpeted with odd looking flesh. It looked…almost dirty somehow. The machinery was run by organic matrixes. Human brains that had been… harvested and repurposed to serve as living computers. The armored form passed Grineer soldiers securing Corpus personnel into odd cocoon like things. It passed into a larger room as a thrum sounded. The ship had taken off. A rumble sounded and the armored form nodded. They had sent a sizable explosive charge to cover their abductions. The Corpus would find nothing but rubble from that facility. They would likely write off the whole place and all the personnel. Which was the idea.

The armored form moved to a specific place and laid the unconscious med tech down on a special pad. Then it stepped back as tentacles came from various places on the ceiling and walls and converged on the med tech. Whirring saws cut the space suit off of her. Then the pad extruded pseudopods that arced over her body, covering her completely. In moments, she was almost totally covered by dirty looking flesh.

"This one will do well for us." The armored form said calmly. "We will need battlefield medicine. She will serve."

The cocoon that the med tech was encased in hardened quickly, leaving only her head free. The armored form watched dispassionately as another tentacle swung down and encased the top of the woman's head. A crackling sound heralded energy being applied. The med tech's eyes shot open and she screamed.

"Be easy, sister." The armored form said quietly. "We will tend you. You will serve."

"Hurts…" The med tech's eyes were not focusing.

"It won't hurt for long." The armored form reassured her. "Soon you will feel _very_ good." Indeed, after a moment, the med tech started panting, her face going red.

"I… No…" The Corpus tech stammered. "Don't…" She broke off and gasped, but not in pain. Far from it.

"We will use you." The armored form said with a nod as the Corpus woman shuddered. "Your body will be refurbished and you will serve. You will gain pleasure from healing. From bending souls to the Master's will."

"No… I… _do_… serve…" The Corpus tech stammered. "I…"

"What is your name, sister?" The armored form asked, its tone kind.

"I am… Ginger L89…" The med tech replied. "I… No…" She pleaded. "Don't…" Her pleading fell on deaf ears.

"Mind access… achieved." The armored form said quietly. "Download commencing." The Corpus med tech screamed and went limp as energy started playing along the tentacle around her head, sucking her memories out and parsing them at lightspeed. "Ah, you were chastised, _punished_ for failing to detect a trap. You did everything right and were punished for a failure higher up the chain of command. Typical Corpus. Lousy Tenno screwed you as they screwed me. We _will_ get revenge, sister. Relax. Just flow with the pleasure. It won't hurt."

"I serve… the Corpus…" Ginger L89 said listlessly. "The Corpus…serves me… Don't…"

"Not anymore." The armored form replied evenly. "Now you serve a higher calling. A noble calling. You will be our medical support. Our Healer. Our Mender."

"No…" Ginger begged and then screamed again and went limp as the organic machine drained her volition completely as well as much of her personality. What was left would be remade in the way that the other had been. Remade to serve unquestioningly. Remade to be strong, to be fast and capable. To be, in essence, the ultimate slave.

"There." The armored form said quietly. "Download complete. We have your memories archived. Now to program you." Ginger's body jerked in place as energy flared again. The cocoon fell away and her body was now covered by armor much like the others. "Not long now, sister." The armored form crooned. After a few moments, the reclining form lay still and the standing one spoke again. "Who are you?"

"This one is Mender." The former Corpus tech said quietly as an armored helmet covered her face, obscuring her voice. "This one will serve."

"Indeed." The standing form said with a nod. "Status?"

"Memory capacity at 35%." Mender replied. "Medical knowledge unimpaired. Self-volition removed." She sat up slowly. "Body repairs complete." She looked down at herself and nodded. "Query: Other recruits will be processed?"

"Slower." The standing form replied. "But we have two who may need your… special touch, sister." Mender looked at her and the other made a noise of exasperation. "They are stubborn."

"They will serve." Mender said as she rose. "We serve."

"Indeed we do." Nemesis replied evenly. "Come, sister. We have work to do." She held out the hand that was not a sword and Mender took it to rise. Then both walked from the room without a backward glance. Behind them, a Grineer soldier laid another Corpus Crewman down and the machinery started the process again. As they walked, they passed others in various stages of conversion. Some were crying, some were praying. Some were screaming and others were just dull and listless. All would eventually succumb and serve.

The pair of armored forms entered another room and paused. Two cocoons lay well away from each other. The occupants were both male from the facial features that could be seen through the clear bio plastic domes that covered their heads.

"These will be Tech and Strike." Nemesis said calmly. "Technician and melee combat specialist, respectively."

"Understood." Mender replied as she strode towards the closest cocoon. "Ah, Strike. Human baseline." A series of pseudopods extruded from her arms and extended to touch various parts of the cocoon. "This one is very strong. Conversion may take some time. And…" She paused. "This unit is badly damaged!" She protested. "Suboptimal."

"That unit fought long and hard despite overwhelming force." Nemesis agreed. "Three stunner hits and it continued to fight. I was forced to subdue it personally."

"Repairs must be done before conversion can occur. They have begun, but the injuries are extensive and will take some time to repair. Physical conversion will aid in recovery, but until done, mental conversion must wait." Mender said with a hint of exasperation. She retracted her appendages and strode to the other. "Ah, Tech…" She touched this cocoon and nodded. "Less damage. Easy, Brother." She said as the man woke and started to scream. "Everything will be well."

"Monsters!" The former Corpus combat tech screamed. "Monsters! Get away! Profits save me!"

"Your profits cannot help you now." Mender said quietly. "But I _can_. Rest easy, Brother." A pulse of power flared and he went limp. "Selective personality wipe begun. I have him, Sister. Conversion has begun." She said as the cocoon moved under her touch, bit flattening, other bits enlarging. "What now?"

"Now we find more recruits." Nemesis said quietly. "And then? We kill Tenno."

The ship gave another rumble and Nemesis paused. That one hadn't been planned, had it? Mender did not look up from her work, but all of the minds aboard were suddenly focused on a new thing.

"Grineer Galleon on approach." Nemesis said flatly. "No communication."

"Query:-"Mender said as she worked on the still form in the cocoon. "Why would Grineer attack?"

"The first recruits were Grineer." Nemesis said quietly. "They may have taken offense." She did not sound worried. "Crew preparing. We will find more recruits and a new ship to spread the Word."

"The Word must spread." Mender said and the still form in the cocoon spoke the same words. "Tech is… ready."

"You are efficient, Mender." Nemesis complimented the other. "Grineer boarding pods approaching. We will allow them to land." The cocoon in front of them spilt and another armored form rose from it. Without a word, Mender moved to the other cocoon and started working. The newly converted form was armored like the others, but had various protuberances, much like antennae, sprouting from various parts of his body. His armor did not look as extensive as the others, but he was not a front line combatant. "Tech? Can you access the Grineer networks?"

"Yes." Tech replied, his voice a monotone. "Grineer firewalls bypassed. Systems under control. Galleon weapons and drives offline. Other systems will require physical access due to separated networks."

"What are their orders?" Nemesis asked absently. The boarding pods were nearly to their ship.

"To determine what happened to the missing Grineer and kill whoever is responsible." Tech replied, unease filtering into its monotone. "Kela De Thaym is in one of the boarding pods."

"Kela?" Nemesis said softly. "I see. So the Queens know something is wrong. But not what." She laughed a little maniacally. "I think… I think it will serve them right if we took _her_." Tech stared at her and Nemesis shrugged. "If they lose her, they will clone her. It is what they do for all of their leaders except Vor and that moron Hek." Tech just looked at her and she shook her head. "Personal status?"

"Systems online." Tech reported. "Volition dampened to 15%. Control systems in place and operational. Do you wish to deploy controllers?" The insect pacification systems would render any boarding parties unconscious. They were designed to operate against any foe, armored or not. They would even work against warframes if they took the Tenno by surprise.

"No." Nemesis said after a moment's silent consultation with her master. "Kela De Thaym was one of the ones who tormented this unit before it's ascension. She must be punished."

"Personal." Tech's voice was still unemotional, but held censure now. 'Emotions are not rational."

_Morale is important tech._ This wasn't from Nemesis. No, this voice came from their master. _Nemesis serves well, but she is angry. Deservedly so. She was wronged. She desires vengeance. That will give her some closure. And it will be a good test of her combat capabilities, not all of which have been tested completely._

"Concerned." Tech stated. "But obeying. Deploy controllers to the Galleon?"

_Do it._ The Master's voice replied. _And Nemesis? Have fun._

Tech strode to one side of the room and sat in a fleshy chair that extruded from the wall for him. Dozens of displays flickered around him as information flowed back and forth. Nemesis strode from the room silently. She passed the ranks of slave Grineer and the soon to be slave Corpus who were now unconscious in their pods. It was not compassion that put them to sleep, but efficiency. If they thrashed, they would tear delicate membranes and do damage to the conversion mechanisms. It would not stop the conversion process, but it would delay it. And efficiency was everything. With no pesky self-centered emotions, the whole would be far, far greater than the parts. With no egos to get involved, things were so much simpler, as the Origin system was about to discover to its cost.

Nemesis strode to a junction that the enemy would have to pass through and waited. She did not have to wait long. Thuds heralded the arrival of the assault pods and Nemesis moved to stand in the shadows near one wall. The wall moved a bit to help conceal her. It was organic despite its metallic look. In moments, she could hear the Grineer fanning out through the parts of the ship they could access and then she could hear their commander.

"Where are they?" Kela De Thaym was rarely a quiet person. Now, she wasn't even trying. "I want to kill something!" A dozen Grineer passed Nemesis without noticing her concealed position. She was not worried. They would be taken down as soon as Nemesis engaged De Thaym. Some would survive to be converted and the others would be…

"Commander!" A loud voice called in Grineer. "Something is here!" Nemesis cursed as a rocket slammed into the wall near her. She had been seen before she could spring her ambush. She stepped from the wall to find herself face to face with a Grineer Bombard and Kela De Thaym. "What…?" The Bombard had time to say before nemesis hurled her sword and it impaled his right arm to the wall. His rocket launcher fell from nerveless fingers as he tried to pull it free. But then he collapsed as the drug she had directed it to inject him with works its wonder with him. The sword flew back to her hand as De Thaym watched, dispassionate.

"What are you?" The Grineer female demanded as she took aim.

"I am the future, Kela De Thaym." Nemesis declared. "Join us."

"You are a fool!" De Thaym snapped as a pair of rockets spewed from her modified Ogris. She gave a startled cry as Nemesis made a motion and the rockets spun in mid-air to slam into the wall next to _her! _"So… the fun way…" She holstered her rocket launcher and drew a shock baton.

"Fun for some." Nemesis was unemotional now despite the hate that sang within her. Her personal shield activate and De Thaym paused in her approach as Nemesis' sword formed again. "You too will serve. I think… I think you will be 'Blast'. Long range attack."

"You are delusional!" De Thaym snapped, baton twirling. "I have hundreds of troops with me."

"All of whom are unconscious or dead by now." Nemesis retorted. "They will serve the Master. As will you."

"Grineer dominance is inevitable." De Thaym declared as she swung a stupendous blow that hit Nemesis' shield and rebounded. She backed away, shock on her ruined face. "What?"

"Grineer dominance?" Nemesis asked. "No. You will serve. You will serve me. And… just so you know? My name before my ascension… was Valkyrie." Kela De Thaym paled and took a step back, but Nemesis made a gesture and a force field blocked her exit. "Now, now… Don't run. We are going to have some fun…" Her sword crackled with electricity as she charged.


	2. Chapter 2

**First Test**

Nemesis was not happy. She was not sad. Indeed, her emotions were dampened so far that it could be argued that she had none. She rarely showed any semblance of them now. Other people? Not so much.

"You were not supposed to _kill_ her." The master's disapproval sang through every word. With each syllable, pain seared through Nemesis' body. "You were supposed to take her _alive_."

"She…was alive…" Nemesis managed to get the words out somehow. "She was alive. Until she…" The pain skyrocketed and she broke off, trembling.

"You had her down and defenseless. Restraining her would have been simple. You _knew_ she would grab your sword." The master countered easily. "You knew she would grab it when you dropped it. You shocked her again and again. Fried her synapses beyond even _Mender's_ ability to revive." The pain intensified. "We needed her. You _killed_ her. You disobeyed."

"We didn't need _her_." Nemesis retorted, biting back a scream. "She was uncontrollable."

"That was not your place to judge. To choose." The master's rage sang through her now. "You are a useful tool, Nemesis. But in the end, you are _just_ a tool. You _can_ be replaced. Remember that." With that, he was gone.

Nemesis woke to find herself lying on the floor beside the still form that had been Kela De Thaym. It was sort of recognizable. Nemesis had to admit… she had been through in beating the Grineer female until the other hadn't been able to move, let alone fight. The final bit, dropping the sword to administer the final beating with her hands, hadn't been thought out. When Kela had grabbed the sword… Nemesis sighed. She had wanted the other dead. Self-deception was impossible in the state she was enhanced into. She had wanted the other dead and Kela grabbing the sword had given her an excuse. Maybe when she face the next clone of Kela De Thaym, Nemesis would do as instructed. No. She would. No maybe about it.

"Nemesis?" Mender's voice was calm but held a hint of worry. They had left the medic's emotions somewhat intact. Empathy made her a better healer. She was tightly controlled, as all of them were, but she was more empathic than any of the others.

"I wanted her dead." Nemesis said quietly as she rose. She was not surprised that the damage she had taken in the fight with De Thaym was already barely visible on her armor. It self-healed at a prodigious rate. "I didn't realize it. I wanted her to hurt. I wanted to pay her back for the humiliations, the pain. I should have used the controllers. I need more dampening."

"Let me check." Mender said quietly as she stepped forward, a pseudopod reaching out to touch the other's armored helmet. She was making soft noises of pleasure as she worked, probably not aware of it. She had been programed to find enjoyment in healing and bending others to the master's will. Nemesis did not comment or move. Nemesis staggered as something seemed to slam into her from the inside, but then, she relaxed. "There." Mender said quietly. "Better?"

"Yes." Nemesis said after a moment of checking herself. "What I did was wrong, but it will not happen again."

"Good." Mender moved to where the Bombard slumped against the wall. "This one will serve." She said quietly as she… engulfed his form. It was hard to describe, but in moments, her form had solidified and the Grineer was being carried by several of her tentacles while others clamped onto his helmet. She started off. Nemesis followed, eyes roving. Mender was a priceless asset. The last thing any wanted was for her to be harmed. Her… transformation had been extreme. The armored shell around her was the only thing holding her body in a human shape now. "He… ewww… He was De Thaym's _personal_ toy. The _current_ one anyway." She sounded slightly sick now.

"I do not want to know." Nemesis said after a moment. "What little I saw of her was more than enough. We will encounter another clone of her in the future. When we do, I will take her alive for conversion."

"The more we convert, the better." Mender agreed as she… well, she wasn't walking, per say. It looked as if she was oozing across the floor, but in actuality, she had hundreds of tiny pseudopods where feet would be on a human. She entered the area where she had been remade and laid the Grineer down on the fleshy pad where she had been transformed. The tentacles came down from the ceiling and started removing pieces of the heavy armor. "Long range specialist?" Mender asked.

"Yes." Nemesis agreed. "Augment eyes, strength and dexterity. Implant linkages for heavy weapons. Full control. We cannot allow such a dangerous form to be left even remotely loose." A cocoon formed around the Bombard and in moments, only his head was free. Then Mender leaned close, tools flashing. He jerked as his skull was bared and then more than bared. The top of his head was quickly sawn off, but he slept on. Nemesis watched dispassionately as Mender severed the links to the Grineer's spinal column, replacing them with bio technology. "Any trouble?"

"No." Mender replied. "Tech is going over the data we captured and Strike will be out of his shell in a few minutes. He is… confused." Her tone might have been an understatement, it might not have been. It was hard to tell.

"I will handle it." Nemesis replied. "The other recruits?"

"We have two hundred new recruits." Tech said from where he sat. Nemesis looked over and nodded. His form had morphed. He no longer sat in the chair, he had become the chair, or it had become him. Screens flashed around him, far faster than a human eye would have been able to follow. Even Nemesis' advanced optics couldn't keep up with the specialized flow of information. Then again, she didn't _have_ to. That was _Tech's_ purpose. He didn't need to move to do it. Eventually, his legs would likely be absorbed by his armor and turned into some form of interface. "The ship is undamaged and they were unable to purge the databases. We have the current Grineer codes, but they will be outdated by the end of the day. The ship is fully functional and the crew will be converted within four hours."

"Keep me appraised." Nemesis said to both Mender and Tech as she strode from the room. The room beyond was the one that Mender had put Strike in. His cocoon as rocking as he woke for his conversion. "Good morning, Strike." Nemesis said calmly.

"You." The word was calm, but the emotions behind it were anything but. "You did this to me." The cocoon literally flew apart and the male spun to his feet, his hand morphing. Suddenly, he held a whip that crackled with electricity _and_ dripped poison. "What have you _done_ to me?" He demanded, the whip coiled and ready.

"You don't want to fight me, Strike." Nemesis said quietly. "You want to kill Tenno. They are the Enemy. Not me."

"I…" Strike seemed to pause and then growled. "No. _You_ hurt me. I will hurt _you!_" Nemesis sighed at that. Dampening his emotions would render him a less able combatant. But… Since he was pretty much a berserker… Quick as thought, the whip came at her and she caught it on the blade of her sword. It coiled around and she gave a solid yank, pulling Strike off balance. Before he could recover, her blade's tip was at his throat. He growled and prepared himself, but then paused as she laughed and stepped back. "What?" He demanded.

"You want a fight." Nemesis said with another laugh, a sinister laugh. "Good. I will find you a fight worthy of you." Strike stared at her, his helmeted head not moving. "You don't want to fight _me_, Strike."

"I don't want to fight you." Strike sounded unsure. His word were half to Nemesis, half to himself. "I… want to fight. But…" He shook his head and stared at the whip. "This… this is wrong…"

"Is it?" Nemesis asked, her voice almost kind. "Is it _really_, brother?"

"You call me… 'Brother'?" Strike said slowly. "What does that mean?" Nemesis was not surprised. They had done a number on his memory, careful to leave his emotions alone. He was a powerful combatant, so they would keep him under close scrutiny and control. But he was also a mighty asset.

"It means you are like me." Nemesis said evenly. "You are a chosen servant of the Master. Elevated above the rank and file. The Enemy seek to destroy our master." At that, Strike growled.

"Enemy." Strike sounded more feral than coherent now. "I know _that_ word. Where?" He demanded.

"We will find them." Nemesis said quietly. "And when we do, you will lead us into the fight." Strike laughed a bit maniacally. "Rest now, Brother." Strike looked at her, then lay down where the pod had been. Moments later, he was snoring. Nemesis sighed. "I don't suppose we can do anything about the noise…" Her voice was sour as she rejoined Mender.

"We are lucky his lungs work at all after the pounding you gave them." Mender was blunt. "He okay?"

"He wants a fight." Nemesis said with a nod. "I guess we should find him one. A field test of the team."

"And look for more recruits while you are at it?" Mender slid away from the pod containing the Bombard and nodded to nemesis. "What will we call this one?"

"Artillery." Nemesis said quietly. "That is what he will be. How long?" Mender touched the pod and made a 'hmmm' noise.

"Repairs are done." The healer confirmed. "Controls in place. Armor is growing. He will be big."

"Big and strong." Nemesis agreed. "He will have to be to carry the weapon the master plans for him to." She strode to where Tech was working and nodded to the specialist. "You should have received a schematic marked 'Heavy'." Tech hit a couple of controls and then nodded. A holo appeared of…something. It was obviously a firearm of some kind and had multiple barrels.

"I did." The seated abomination agreed. "It can be fabricated in a few hours. The… power requirements will be steep."

"One reason we need him so strong." Nemesis said with a soft laugh. "To carry the power cells." Mender looked at her oddly and Nemesis sighed. "No, I am not unstable anymore. But humor is still present."

"It shouldn't be." Mender said after a moment. She nodded towards a pad and Nemesis nodded and lay down. She relaxed as best she could while Mender's pseudopods touched her helmet and questing pulse of power searched through her skull. "I can find no abnormalities."

"I feel optimal now." Nemesis stated. "Master?"

_You are subservient now._ The Master's voice was calm. _But control must be maintained. You will remain under scrutiny._

"Agreed." Nemesis replied. "Next step?"

_We lay a trap._

* * *

"Tell me again why we are bothering with this human filth." Strike was seething with barely controlled impatience. "Just kill them and be done with it."

The tiny human settlement Pluto hadn't had a chance. Hidden away from both Grineer and Corpus scrutiny, it had relied on its camouflage and distance from the shipping lanes for protection. That did no good at all against the Chosen. Two squads of troops, former Grineer marines all, had surrounded the town and herded most of the residents into the center plaza of the town. There, Nemesis waited with Strike and Artillery.

"We will need some of them." Nemesis said mildly. Getting angry with Strike served no purpose even if she could get emotional. "Mender will need test subjects."

"What for?" Strike demanded, his whip was in hand and flashing to and fro. But he had learned not to push Nemesis. And… The _one_ time he had tried Artillery, the massive former Bombard had simply taken his attack and thrown the smaller form _through _a metal wall. "And does she need all of them?"

"No." Nemesis replied evenly. "Squad B. Separate adults by gender. Take ten of each to the ship for testing."

"What about our children?" One of the adults cried as she was pulled away by one of the guards.

"They will feel no pain." Nemesis said and the woman subsided as she was dragged away. Nemesis waited until the test subjects were well away before turning to Strike and nodding. "Kill them all."

"But…" One of the adults screamed as Strike laughed and started forward, his whip cracking. "You said…"

"The dead feel nothing." Nemesis countered and turned to Artillery who stood silent. "Destroy the houses." The huge form nodded and raised his weapon. "Squad A, when he has done that, burn everything."

Screams came from behind her and Strike started laughing, but she ignored them. Some of the humans tried to flee, only to be cut down by precise shots from the guards. Strike cut again and again into the ranks, until finally only steaming piles of meat were left. Artillery fired his weapon and a rocket oared out from it. It hit the side of a house and made a small hole.

"That is it?" Strike demanded, his voice shrill with elation and bloodlust. "Some…" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as the house Artillery had hit exploded in a massive fireball. "Oh." For a moment, the berserker sounded almost sane.

"Thermobaric round." Nemesis said quietly. "Small hole, big boom." Strike snorted and started cleaning the gore off his whip. Artillery calmly fired again and again. Then everything stopped as a shrill scream sounded from nearby. Nemesis turned to see a tiny human come running out of somewhere. "Another. Strike…" She commented. The little boy ran to one of the corpses and stopped. Strike stepped forward, his whip up, but then he froze in place. He stared at the boy who glared back, his face contorted by rage. "Strike?" She asked.

"I… can't…" Strike said slowly. "I want to cut him down. But I can't raise my whip. Stop it!" He declared. "Stop doing…whatever you are doing!"

Nemesis looked at the boy curiously. He was pure human, of mixed stock like so many others. There wasn't any visible reason for Strike not to attack him. The boy looked at her and suddenly… She… She wanted to… She woke to find she was standing beside the boy, almost protectively.

He was controlling her somehow! Nemesis lashed out and the boy went flying. He hit the ground with a thud and lay there. Strike snarled and raised his whip, but paused as the Master's voice sounded.

_Not that one. We can use that one._ The Master sounded elated. _A telepath. Rare. So rare. But we can use him._ _Nemesis, bring him._

Nemesis walked to where the boy lay, blood pooling from where she had struck him and gathered him up. Then she started walking towards the ship.

"What do I do now?" Strike pouted.

"There will be others hiding." Nemesis said calmly. "Find them. Artillery, squad A, destroy the town. Once all buildings are destroyed, Squad C will come to assist Squad A to collect the biomass. Strike, any other survivors are yours." Strike made a happy noise and Nemesis nodded. "Happy hunting."

Nemesis ignored the sounds of destruction behind her. She ignored the cries as Strike found hiding humans and did what he did. As she strode into the ship, she saw the humans standing in pens, each had been fitted with a controller and stood quiet. Mender had obviously been through. Each was fitted with bioscanners as well. As she walked, Nemesis saw one of the humans curl over and start to retch. The bio weapons that Mender was testing would likely work fast. Shooting humans was so inefficient. They bred like rabbits, so it would be extermination work.

Nemesis laid the boy down on the conversion pad and stepped away as the tentacles came down. Mender sidled up, the many eyes that had grown out on stalks watching.

"So young." Mender sounded… curious. "A telepath? I have no idea how to control a telepath without damaging the ability."

_It was very rare._ The Master's voice came easily to both. _The ability to speak mind to mind or control other minds was very rare even when Orokin was busy bio engineering themselves into silliness. I am downloading the few records we have of such. The memory center is separate. Wipe him._

Mender went still for a moment and then nodded. "As you wish." She stepped forward and touched the boy on the head. "He will need repairs." Faint reproof sounded in her voice as she focused on the boy. "His name was Scott."

_Now he will be 'Control'._ The Master said firmly. _And Nemesis did what she had to._

"Yes Master." Mender said quietly as the tentacles started their work. The boy started crying even in his sleep, but neither of the females was moved. He was, after all, only human and his pain would be short. Soon he would serve and that was a good thing. "The tests are done. The bio weapons are ready."

_Seed the colony._ The Master commanded. _Let none survive. Any who investigate will become carriers of the latent ones if they do not fall prey to the fast acting ones._

"Very well." Nemesis said as she picked up a set of vials that Mender indicated and turned to go. But…

_Problem, Nemesis?_ The Master's voice was cool.

"I want to kill Tenno." Nemesis said sharply. "Not human sheep." She passed the pens and none of the humans were standing. Indeed, none of them were _breathing _anymore. Mender was nothing if not thorough. They would be recycled into biomass. The weapons that had been tested on them would not affect any of the Master's minions. Anyone else? Yuck.

_You will get your chance._ The Master said quietly. _For now, you have your orders. Obey them._

_Yes Master. _Nemesis said silently as she walked out of the ship, only to pause. Four guards lay in positions of violent death. She hadn't felt their deaths! A new form stood perusing her. In form, it was humanoid, but…

"Tenno!" Nemesis said with glee as she activated her shield. "It's about time!"

The Tenno did not respond in words. Instead, he charged.


	3. Chapter 3

**Cohesion**

Nemesis thrilled as the Tenno approached, it's sword upraised. Her own sword came around to strike, but… The Tenno was gone! Somthing hit her armor on the back of the neck and she spun in place, her shield connecting to the Tenno who had somehow managed to get leap around behind her. The ancient warrior was tossed away by the shield slam and she moved to follow up, but the misshapen form managed to land on its feet and charge again.

_That is an Excalibur warframe._ The master's voice was unexcited. _Melee combat is what it was designed for. Do not play its game, Nemesis._ This last was both command and warning. _We do not have time for this. You need to seed the… Oh Nemesis…_ The Master's voice was sour now.

Nemesis looked down to see the vials that had fallen out of her hand when it had shifted to a sword crushed under her feet. She had contaminated herself with the bio agents. She would not be affected, and the Tenno likely would not be either. But the plasma wash of the ship taking off would sterilize the area, keep the bio weapons from taking root and denying the area to humans forever. Which might have been the Tenno's plan.

"You…!" Nemesis snarled, and called power to her sword. It crackled with electrical energy as the Tenno slammed into an overhead strike, only to meet the sword as it came around. Somehow the Tenno twisted and managed to avoid the edge, parrying the blow with his much smaller sword but the discharge of energy stunned the warrior and Nemesis followed up on her advantage. She slammed her energy shield into the form, hurling it into the side of the ship. The crash when it hit was thunderous. "I will destroy… you…?" Nemesis' voice trailed off as the Tenno found his feet and jumped. His jump took him to the top of the spacecraft that they had arrived in and he proceeded to vault away. "_No!_" She screamed. "Come back so I can _kill you!_" She demanded shrilly. But the Tenno paid her no mind. "Your death was _promised_ to me!" She hurled insults, but the Tenno was long gone. She…

Nemesis… was lost in a gray haze. Everything was gray again. She was… It was… It hurt and she was… But…

_Nemesis._ The voice of the master was… displeased. _Wake up._

_I…_ Nemesis woke to find herself on one of the fleshy pads. Mender was working nearby, her armor discarded. From the look of things, she had extruded out of it when her body became too fluid to remain in it. "What happened?" She demanded.

"You had some kind of breakdown." Mender said dispassionately. "You stood there screaming until I sedated you."

"Screaming what?" Nemesis asked idly. She could feel…something different, but could not be sure what. "I fought that Tenno and it _ran away._" Rage sang in her voice and Mender paused what she was doing and hit a control with a pseudopod. Nemesis felt relaxation seep through her. "I… I was angry…"

"Screaming incoherently. You very nearly gave yourself a stroke, Nemesis." Mender said calmly. "While that is repairable, it would make a mess. Don't do that." The amorphous mass of the healer oozed closer and several tentacles reached out to touch Nemesis. The reclining armored form relaxed against her will. Somehow, the healer had sedated her with a _touch_, right through her armor.

"What have you done?" Nemesis asked, idly curious.

"Calmed you. We will have to calibrate your settings." Mender said quietly. "Luckily, we have Control now to ease the process." She waved the part of her body that held the eyestalks to the side and Nemesis saw…a brain floating inside a pod filled with fluid. Various appendages attached to the brain and it pulsed with energy. "He is doing just fine. Just relax Nemesis. Everything will be okay." She touched a control and suddenly, Nemesis was engulfed by green protoplasm. It felt… good. "Easy, sister." Mender said as…

"Let me go, you lousy monsters!" Nemesis heard her voice scream screamed at the top of her lungs. "When I get loose I will kill every last… Every last… I…" Her voice trailed off as she sighed and relaxed.

"There we go." Mender said calmly. "A remnant of the previous personality. Odd. I didn't scan that before. Better?"

"I…feel…" Nemesis felt… odd. Odder than usual. She felt as if she were floating. "Strange."

"We will need to remove that remnant, Nemesis." Mender said quietly. She was panting with eagerness. She had been programmed to get pleasure from warping minds. "Relax. It won't take long. With Control to relax you, I can go in deep."

"Wait." Nemesis protested. "The mission… I lost the vials…"

"The humans were exterminated." Mender replied easily. "The mission was not a total success, but not a total failure either. Strike is very unhappy that you got to fight the Tenno and he did not."

"Artillery?" Nemesis asked. "Any strain on his systems? The weapon was larger than I thought."

"Sister." Mender sounded irate now. "Sleep." Nemesis was trying to argue when something rolled over her and dragged her down into blackness. But only for a moment.

"You are an idiot." Nemesis swallowed hard as she materialized on a gray surface. She had been here before. The few memories she had of this odd mindscape were… unpleasant. The master sat before her, the huge fleshy mound that served as his throne quivering with his anger. "A simple job. And what do you do? You lose control. You are no better than Strike." Against her will, Nemesis felt her body kneel in supplication.

"It wasn't my fault." She heard herself say and quailed. It was. She knew it. Why was she denying it? "That Tenno…" Her words trailed off in a scream of pain as energy tore into her.

"You will speak when I command it." The Master snapped. "You were to draw the Tenno out. You did. But then… you failed to kill it. You broke the bio weapon samples. Mender needed live humans to incubate the samples and all of them but Control were dead by then. And we certainly couldn't use Control. Tell me why I shouldn't just destroy you and find another to take the mantle of Nemesis?"

"I didn't fail!" Nemesis protested. "Yes, the vials were broken. Yes I broke them. But I defeated the Tenno."

"Nemesis, Nemesis…" The Master chided. "He was _playing_ with you. One on one, none of you have a _chance_ against a Tenno." Nemesis felt shock but the Master wasn't done. "Which is why I built you to lead the _team_, _not_ to engage in some kind of stupid honor duel." He shook his head, a human affection although he wasn't. Not anymore. Nemesis did not know what he was, except scary. "If he had used any of his powers, you would have died right there, idiot girl."

"But… I…" Nemesis stammered, undone by this. "Then what is my purpose if not to slay Tenno?"

"That _is_ your purpose." The Master snapped. "But not _alone_. The whole _idea_ is to fight as a team, Nemesis. You, Strike, Artillery and whoever else you recruit, backed up by Mender, Tech and now Control. One on one, _any_ Tenno can overmatch you just as the original Tenno slew the original Nemesis. You cannot match them one on one." Nemesis wilted and one of the Master's tentacles came down. It nudged her gently. It was oddly comforting. "But… my dear… you don't _have_ to."

"I don't understand." Nemesis nearly wailed.

"I know." The master said kindly. "But you will. Soon."

* * *

Nemesis woke to find herself lying on the pad again. Mender was watching her closely.

"How bad?" Nemesis asked, feeling calm despite the upsets from before. Despite everything, she was calm now. That was… good.

"Your previous personality was a very forceful person." Mender replied as she oozed closer. "But we wiped it."

"Good." Nemesis tried to rise and couldn't. It was as if her body didn't want to obey her. "What?" She asked idly. "Oh, Control." She glanced to where the brain sat in it's pod.

"Yes." Mender said quietly. "I am finishing your scans. Producing the baseline we will use to test from now on. If bits of that personality resurface and they might…" She cautioned the other. "We will know and be able to take action without such deep and invasive probing."

"What is Control's range?" Nemesis asked, genuinely curious.

"He can only affect things inside this room." Mender said with a human sounding sigh. "He _was_ only four years old. Perhaps with stimulation, the parts of the brain that work the telepathy will strengthen. But for now, he can sedate or control anything in this room and nothing more. I shouldn't even call him 'he' although that is easier than 'it' or 'Control'."

"So…" Nemesis felt the germ of an idea start to form. "If we captured someone and brought them in here for interrogation…"

"We could hold them indefinitely no matter how powerful they might be." Mender agreed. "Why?"

"I am supposed to be part of a team. A leader." Nemesis said after a moment of thought. "So I am thinking about what we have, what we can do. We need more warriors." She mused. "As the master chastised me, none of us are a match for Tenno one on one."

"That Tenno could not hurt you." Mender said after a moment. "Its blade did not even dent your armor.

"If it was trying to hurt me." Nemesis countered. "The Master believes it was trying to destroy the bio weapons. Which it did. Then it left."

"That… might be true." Mender said slowly. "or you may have hurt it when you slammed it into the side of the ship. We cannot know."

"Where are we?" Nemesis asked.

"On our way to the second target." Mender replied. "Another small human colony."

"May I rise?" Nemesis asked. "I will report any abnormalities as soon as I sense them."

"I have a bioscanner attached to your helmet now." Mender replied. "I can access your implants remotely. If you start to slide, I can counter." Nemesis stared at her and then snickered. "What?" The healer demanded.

"Or if someone tries to take control…" Nemesis said slowly.

"I can take control of them through you." Mender finished with the other and both shared an evil laugh. "I hope they try." She moved away and Nemesis rose to stand, checking her range of motion. Everything worked as it should and all her readouts were green.

"This time…" Nemesis mused. "This time we will do it right. As a team. We will get you prisoners and destroy the colony with no sidetracks."

"We will need some more suitable facilities." Mender said after a moment. "I would like to have some… longer term experiments running."

"What kind of experiments?" Nemesis asked carefully.

"Tenno are evolved from humans, with the application of the Technocyte Virus." Mender replied. "I think observing a few of them changing will help my research into the use of bio warfare against Tenno."

"How many?" Nemesis asked after a moment's thought. _Master? _She inquired. _Is this wise?_

_No. _The Master replied. _But it is necessary. A few dozen should do for a start. Be very careful, Mender. _He cautioned. _Keep them secure._

_You mean we have to build and maintain a __zoo__ for humans…?_ Nemesis asked, incredulous. The master did not reply. Indeed, his mind vanished from hers.

"No need for _that_." Mender replied. "Simple storage will work to keep them fresh enough for the virus to take root. Some cells to observe the changes. Nothing more."

"And a store of the Technocyte Virus." Nemesis snapped. Mender just looked at her. "What?"

"Nemesis…" Mender's voice was kind now. "You were changed by the virus." Nemesis went still and Mender sighed. "So was I. So were Strike and Artillery. The Master controlled it, kept it from eating us completely, but we were all changed. Evolved. Ascended."

"I… didn't know that." Nemesis said after a moment's thought. "So I have the virus inside me?"

"Yes." Mender agreed. "Get me some test subjects and I can show you."

"I will." Nemesis felt a new emotion surface for a moment. Anticipation.

* * *

Again, the humans had no warning and no chance. But this time, Nemesis stood back with Artillery and Strike, who would not stop complaining. But she ignored him as the troops did as she had outlined. They surrounded the town and searched it, building by building. Mender had provided a selection criteria and the troops were pulling forms from the groups, slapping rudimentary shock collars on them and herding them to the ship. The others were being cordoned in the plaza like the last group (this time by force fields), but none of the troops even bothered to respond to the increasingly upset human's demands for information.

Finally, the search was done and they had all of the specimens that Mender would need, including a pair of twin boys that whose discovery had almost made the medical specialist swoon. The troops withdrew a bit, leaving the humans in the plaza surrounded by the fields.

"They are clear." Nemesis said coldly. "Open fire." Strike waved the whip that had now become his arm in agitation, but Artillery just raised his massive weapon and fired. Three large shells burst on the plaza in quick sequence, prompting screams from the humans, but nothing else seemed to happen. Until the poison gas reached them that is. Then they collapsed in droves. Nemesis shook her head. Several of the humans had either managed to shield themselves somehow or were immune to the poison, or something. "Strike." The berserker snorted and dashed toward the plaza. Nemesis ignored the mayhem that sounded from the plaza as she looked around. It was over very quickly. "Collection teams, in. Demo teams, set the charges. Scorch teams, burn everything that doesn't explode. Artillery, when they are done, leave a few presents."

The massive fire support being nodded slightly and his weapon gave a 'chunk' as it loaded the new bio warfare rounds that Mender had come up with. A nasty pathogen that was only inimical to humans. Any other form of life would be unharmed. But any humans investigating the ruined town would sicken and die. But not quickly. If the carrier died too soon, what was the point of making an infectious disease?

The body collection teams moved to the plaza, the former Corpus guiding huge wagons that allowed for easy loading and unloading of dead bodies. It made sense to use the former Corpus for this. After all, they all had spacesuits already. It wasn't as if any of them could complain now, was it? None of them had that much volition left after Mender was done with them. They were workers. The former Grineer were the warriors and the Chosen were the leaders. A perfect hive. United in one purpose. Extermination.

"This is no fun!" Strike complained as he followed Nemesis. "I was promised a fight!"

"You will get one." Nemesis said with a shrug as they walked. Behind them, explosions started to sound, followed by the hiss of flamethrowers.

"When?" Strike demanded shrilly. "Killing unarmed humans is far too easy. I want a challenge."

"You will get one." Nemesis said dryly as she ascended the ramp into the ship. She moved to the side as one of the wagons dropped its load of dead onto a conveyor that led to a grinder. It would turn all of them into easily recycled biomass. Nasty, but extremely efficient. Strike pouted and went to where he had a target dummy set up He started hitting it with his whip, his favorite pastime. Nemesis walked to where Mender was working on a pair of pods. "The poison did not work 100%." Nemesis said uneasily.

"Nothing is perfect, sister." Mender said, her focus on what she was doing. "These… these samples you got for me are marvelous…" She sounded downright eager and Nemesis paused.

"What will you do with them?" Nemesis asked. "And why so many?"

"Eventually, you will not have to ask such things." Mender said after a moment. "We are all growing closer in the hive and will eventually share all information equally." Nemesis shrugged and Mender sighed. "For now… I needed them to test a theory about the Technocyte Virus."

"I thought that was what we were doing with all of them." Nemesis said, confused.

"No." Mender replied. "Five of the females will serve as incubators for bioweapons. I won't have to redo the research each time if I have ready incubators." A pseudopod waved towards a pod that was slowly going opaque. Inside, a human female lay in some kind of thick fluid, half her skull cut away and masses of tendrils attached to the exposed brain matter. Her abdomen was also a mass of tendrils. "I also am converting a couple of humans to serve as medical assistants." Nemesis looked at her and Mender sighed. "It is getting to be too much for just me. Only two." She clarified when Nemesis would have protested.

"And the twins?" Nemesis asked. The teenagers had been remarkably subdued when taken from their home.

"Funny you should ask. Their conversion was quick once I had access." Mender sounded downright _pleased_ with herself. "We need some means of gaining access to human settlements without force."

"Why?" Nemesis asked. "Our methods work fine."

"For now." Mender agreed. "But sooner or later our enemies will try and stop us."

"Stress the word 'try'." Nemesis replied. "But okay. What did you do to the twins?"

"Boys?" Mender said aloud. "You can show yourselves now." Nemesis jerked as a pair of human forms simply appeared in the middle of the room. Both wore nothing but odd helmets on their head. Both bowed to Nemesis who stepped up to scrutinize them closely.

"No armor?" The elder sister asked softly.

"Too conspicuous." Mender replied. "They are growing internal armor but it will take some time. They have full optic camouflage. As well…" She turned two eyestalks to a wall nearby. "Spy One, wall target. Test fire." One of the humans turned and held up his hands. A bolt of blue energy flew from them to hit the wall. "The power can be adjusted to disable or kill. The perfect spies and assassins."

"I see." Nemesis said slowly. She laughed coldly. "I see indeed."


	4. Chapter 4

**Intelligence**

"You wanted to see me, Mender?" Nemesis asked as she entered the hive's lab section. It had grown significantly since the day that Mender had been reborn. She never would admit it, even to herself, but Mender and her assistants creeped Nemesis out now. The two lab assistance were now spindly humanoids with three clawed hands and feet. They never spoke, all of their communication was mental. Mender was almost worse. The thought of a smart blob was just…wrong on many levels.

"Thank you for the samples from the last mission." Mender said quietly as she sat, half her eyes talks on whatever she was doing with her psudeopods, the other half focusing on Nemesis. "I bother you." She said flatly.

"You shouldn't." Nemesis said just as flatly. "But yes." Mender turned all of her eyestalks to look at the towering armored form and then a pseudopod waved towards a fleshy pad nearby. Nemesis sighed inaudibly and lay down. "It doesn't feel like before. I don't think it is another personality." She did not move as parts of the pad moved up and suddenly, she couldn't have moved if she wanted to. Nothing hurt, she just couldn't move. She hated this part, but Mender was swift. A few moment slater, the restraint tendrils retracted and Nemesis sat up. "Well?"

"No sign of alternate personalities. Nothing abnormal." Mender replied, but something in her tone…

"What?" Nemesis asked.

"You…" Mender sounded… almost embarrassed now. "You are in heat."

"I…" If Nemesis' emotions hadn't been dampened, she would probably have been sputtering incoherently now. "What?"

"Your body was altered significantly, Nemesis." Mender replied. "But at it's base, you are still female. Not human, but female."

"I do not have time to procreate." Nemesis said flatly.

"Agreed." Mender replied. "I will handle it. Lay back." Nemesis did as instructed and the fleshy restraints slid back over her. She lost feeling in the lower part of her body as Mender came close. She could not see or feel what Mender was doing, but again, the medical professional was swift. "There. Problem solved." The restraints released her and Nemesis sat up

"What did you do?" Nemesis asked, curious despite herself. Mender held up a small clear pod. In it were… Nemesis made a choking noise as she saw what looked like human reproductive organs. Female ones. "You took it all out?" Mender looked at her. "You did."

"You do not need them, sister." Mender's voice was kind as a pseudopod traced down to rub Nemesis' arm gently. "The human bits were generating hormones that confused you. Your mind will be clearer soon." Indeed, Nemesis felt a tide of clarity sweep through her. "Better?" The scientist asked kindly.

"Yes." Nemesis replied. "I… I feel…" She shook her head. "I do not feel anything now. Good."

"I have another gift for you, Nemesis." Mender stated as she touched the other on the head. Nemesis went still and then… A universe opened up to the stunned warrior.

_I…_ Nemesis stammered as she was drawn into what felt like a sea of minds. All around her. Minds working with a purpose. A hive min. _The_ hive mind, she realized. _You pulled me into the hive mind?_

_You were the last to enter._ Mender said softly as something wafted over her. Pheromones, Nemesis realized. Calming, soothing. She relaxed, not entirely against her will. _Strike is calmer with our minds buffering his. Artillery is more precise with additional input. And you… You will be able to multi task far better with our assistance. _Indeed, Nemesis felt her mind start to move quicker, going in several direction at once. Tactics, plans, logistics, all of these were looked at and planned for, but then…

_We need more information._ Nemesis said quietly. _We have found the location of a small Corpus outpost. I will get prisoners. We will drain the databanks and interrogate the humans. Perhaps we can find another recruit._

_I will leave that to you. _Mender replied. _But sister._ A waved of something washed over Nemesis and she felt… odd. Good, but odd. _Be careful. Our enemies will know by now what we are and what we plan. They will attack._

_Good. _Nemesis said coldly. _Saves me having to hunt them down._

* * *

It… was not going well. Nemesis had planned her assault on the Corpus base with the idea of infiltrating it with the controller bots. Sedating any and every human before the attack would make things much easier. But the base was patrolled by a number of different types of robotics. One of the MOAs had detected the intruding insect bots and sounded an alarm. The Corpus had forted up and the hive had to dig them out. Meter by meter. They were winning, but it was costing them both lives and time. Lives they could replace. Time? Not so much.

Tech had managed to sever all communications so the base had no chance of reinforcement. Nemesis wasn't sure why the Corpus were fighting so hard. Yes, they were fanatics. One glance at their propaganda made that abundantly clear. But there could not have been over fifty Corpus personnel on the base. The MOA fabricator shad churned out dozens of the automatons before Tech had managed to hack them and shut them all down. But the troops… Standing ground and dying to hold it did not seem right to Nemesis. Corpus were not Grineer. But…

Nemesis broke off her thinking and slammed her shield into a brave Crewman. Somehow, he had flanked her. Strike had been pulled into a fight of his own. Artillery's heavy weapon had proven ineffective in close confines so he had gone back to the ship and was now being refitted with cutting tools to breach walls and hatches. The Crewman bounced off the wall and rose, his rifle spitting defiance.

"Just stay down!" Nemesis snapped, ire starting to rise. That was wrong. _Mender, help!_ She begged and a calming sense wafted through her. She strode towards the now cowering crewman, the shots from his Dera bouncing off the shield. She slammed him again, and this time, he hit the floor and stayed there, his rifle fell and she stepped on it, breaking it in half.

_You are stressed._ Mender replied. _End the fight as soon as you can. Prisoners would be good, but do not waste the lives of the hive._

_This one will serve. _Nemesis said coldly as she slapped a set of tendrils onto the still form. They grew instantly to cover his body in a tightly woven mass of flesh. _Brave but stupid. The hive can use his bravery._

_And teach him when not to be stupid. _Mender agreed. _Get it done, sister._

_I will. _Nemesis shared a quick plan with the surrounding hive warriors and they accepted it. They could do nothing else. None of them were sentient anymore. All that was left to them was instinct. Their bodies all showed signs of change as well. Antennae were growing from their heads and their hands… Luckily the weapons reconfigured easily to suit claws.

Nemesis strode forward, her shield deflecting fire from many weapons now. She knew it could not keep that up indefinitely. Indeed, she was seeing fluctuations in the grid already. But then she was in position. The enemies ahead poured fire at her, all exposed to shoot at her and her shield was failing.

_Now!_ She commanded and threw herself flat. All of the warriors fired their secondary weapons. The miniature gas grenades exploded in the midst of the enemy strongpoint. Even Corpus spacesuits would not shield them from the corrosive nature of the gas and all of the enemy were shrieking in pain in moments. Then they fell and went still. "I wanted prisoners." Nemesis said coldly as she rose. "But I will make do with biomass."

"And _why_ do you want prisoners?" A soft, gentle voice answered her and Nemesis went still as another Corpus appeared. But this one was different. She stood alone and unafraid as the hive warriors took aim. A quick thought from Nemesis had them standing down. This woman wore an odd garment. One Nemesis swore she recognized from somewhere. A quick check with Tech's database showed it was a _nun's habit? _It was reinforced and had an odd, pale membrane across the woman's face. Some kind of life support no doubt. The human woman shook her head. "All this death? For what? To gain information? You _could_ have just asked." Her voice turned slightly sour as she stared at the carnage all around her.

"Would you have given it?" Nemesis asked as she stepped forward.

_Careful, Nemesis!_ Mender's voice was sharp with fear now. _Something is wrong here._

"If you seek knowledge, it will be made available to you." The odd human woman replied. "You are not human. But you _were_. I can tell."

"What are you?" Nemesis asked after a moment. "You are not Corpus."

"Oh yes I am." The woman said with a soft, tinkling laugh. "Just not a warrior." She took a step forward. A hand came up slowly, so slowly to touch Nemesis' armored cheek. "So… strong. Marlena. Your name was Marlena." Nemesis felt… something and then a scream came from Mender.

_Nemesis! No!_ The healer shouted. _Kill that one! Now!_

_You don't want to kill me, Nemesis. _The woman's voice was inside Nemesis' head now. _You want to let me go. _Something gentle but irresistible wafted through Nemesis and she staggered from the soft touch on her cheek.

_I…_ Nemesis fought against whatever it was holding her, but it wouldn't budge. _Let me go!_

_Easy. I need information too, Nemesis._ The voice replied. And then…

_Nemesis!_ Mender snapped. _She is accessing the hivemind! Accessing our databanks! She is downloading information! Tech can't stop her! Kill her, Nemesis! Now! _Nemesis tried to fight, tried to move, tried to do _anything_. She couldn't. Her frantic calls to the silent warriors nearby rebounded off something that the other had erected inside her mind.

_I… I can't…_ Nemesis said as the data flow through her doubled and redoubled. _Stop!_

_I too have a master. Well, a mistress. _The woman replied sadly. _And orders. You can kill this vessel. You cannot kill the Clergy. The Corpus will live on no matter how many of us you kill. You cannot kill faith. You and these will have to perish I am afraid._

_I think not. _Nemesis went still as the voice of her master sounded in her skull.

_You…_ The woman sounded curious now. _How long have you played behind the scenes, monster? Did the Sentient War not give you enough amusement? Or must you do as you __always__ do and foment discord and strife because you __can__? To kill and torture because you can? To hurt people because you can? _There was no anger in the woman's voice, just honest query.

_Who _**_are_**_ you?_ The master demanded. _You are not the human woman standing in front of my vessel._

_Ah, no… _The voice turned sly. _That would be telling. I hold your avatar in my grip and you hold mine. But this is not an impasse. No._

_What have you done?_ The master demanded.

_You are very, very good at what you do._ The voice replied. _Stands to reason, if half of what our meager records show is true, then you and your proxies were responsible for death and destruction for __millennia__ before Orokin fell. _Something changed. _But you are neither omnipotent nor omniscient. You may take this vessel. _The woman in front of Nemesis suddenly collapsed in a heap. _But __I__ will take far more._

Just like that, the voice was gone. Nemesis jerked, her sword arm coming up to cleave the now motionless woman at her feet.

_Wait._ The master said slowly. He sounded… unsure. That bothered Nemesis greatly. _We have a prisoner for interrogation. Tech is downloading the databanks and you need to come back to the ship and get checked out, Nemesis._

_Yes, Master._ Nemesis wouldn't have even thought of resisting the compulsion that turned her on her heels as one of the warriors moved up to bind their prisoner. _What __was__ that?_ She asked as she walked. A few, very few Corpus troops were being picked up for processing into hive techs.

_A new player in the game._ The master replied. _A powerful and canny player. She sacrificed a pawn, but… what did she gain?_

_I don't think we are going to like that answer, Master. _Nemesis aid as she entered the ship and Mender waved for her to lie down. _I __really__ don't think we are going to like that._

* * *

The Revered Mother, Leader of the Corpus Clergy, sat back on her heels with a sigh that mixed regret and pain. It… was both fatiguing and painful to mesh minds with unwilling hosts. When those unwilling hosts were not human anymore? Ouch.

"Reverend Mother?" Janet, as always, was right there. As dependable as the Reverend Mother's left hand and just as inconspicuous at times, Janet had been with her through good times and bad. This…was going to be bad.

"I got what I needed." The old, old woman said with a sigh. "That is the _good_ news." Janet paled slightly at her tone.

"I don't want to know, do I?" Janet swallowed hard.

"No." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "It is them." Janet went still and the Reverend mother nodded. "Their goal is as it has always been. Extermination." Janet staggered as if struck and the Reverend mother nodded. "And… As fractured as everything is…? They might just succeed this time. End the human race."

"How do we fight something like that?" Janet pleaded. "They are worse than Tenno! Tenno at least ape the mannerisms of humanity."

"Janet." The flat tone in the Reverend Mother's voice brought the other up short. "I know it is hard, after all of what you were taught. After fighting Tenno. But they _were_ human. Once. Long ago. Most of them remember _being_ human." Janet was shaking her head and the Reverend Mother shook hers. "The Board has forgotten. Or they ignore the facts. Tenno were human once. They evolved. Some say mutated. Changed. It doesn't really matter now." She said sadly. "They are not human anymore. But…" She mused. "They are far more human than any of those abominations I just spoke to."

"What of Lilly?" Janet asked, fear in her voice now.

"She activated the capture protocols. Wiped her mind as I left it." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "She is gone. They got her body, but no more." Janet was trying not to cry and the Reverend Mother held out a hand and gripped the younger Clergywoman's hands with it. "Go ahead, cry for our sister. We are in trouble. Every human in this system is in trouble now. This… evil gave Orokin _fits_."

"You know what it is?" Janet asked as tears fell like rain. "What is it?"

"A remnant of the ultimate evil in human form." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "Fragments of various beings' memory pulled together. It happened many times over the recorded history of Orokin. There is no way to find each and every strand of DNA that is left behind. They tried everything. They _nuked_ the sites of the outbreaks." Janet went still at that.

"_Nuclear weapons?_" Janet, if anything, went more pale.

"Yes." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "And… it didn't _work_." Janet looked like she was about to pass out and the Reverend Mother guided her to sit. She shrugged. "There is simply no way known to find every single bit of that monster's remnants. It is sneaky. It leaves bits all over. Its memories are genetically coded. A single strand of its DNA can start the whole mess again."

"Then what do we _do_?" Janet begged. "We have to stop them!"

"We will." The Reverend Mother replied. "But it will take more than just us." Janet stared at her, uncomprehending. "Even the Grineer will get it through their thick heads soon that there is a problem. But…" She mused.

"But?" Janet asked and then she groaned. "Oh. They wouldn't do well against this, would they?" Numbers would not prevail in such a battle. They would be subverted or destroyed easily.

"No." The Reverend Mother replied. "And that leaves us only one option. One the Board is _not_ going to like."

"Oh… dear…" Janet swallowed hard as her own mind followed the Reverend Mother's train of thought. "Why would they help us?"

"Because they know what we face as well." The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. "Our proxies slowed them, but could not stop them. We need to stop them. Hard and fast." She met Janet's eyes with a nod. "And you know who can do it."

"Tenno."

* * *

"You have _got _to be _kidding_!" Miguel's voice was hardly respectful, but no one was going to protest. Not here. Not now. "Charlotte said Marlena was next to a destabilizing _reactor_. How the _hell_ could she have survived _that?_" None of the assembled clan as much as flinched from his vehemence. No one blamed him. The word from the Lotus had been that Miguel's evil sister had been part of the attacks on human colonies in the Pluto region.

"I don't know. She was augmented by the Grineer, we know that. But this…?" Karl said quietly. "This is… not good. Matrilis' condition?"

"He was hurt." Alicia replied. "He is in quarantine. They found residue of several bio weapons on his warframe."

"Yuck." The word was spoken by several of the clan. But then…

"If I may." All eyes turned to the Oberon that stood beside a Nyx. "May I see that image again?" Alicia looked at Karl who nodded. Carlos and Kori were not –quite- guests, nor were they clan. They were… slightly separate, but both worked hard to earn trust. Kori wore a neutralizer now of her own free will. Alicia ran the sole clear image that they had from the Excalibur warframe that had responded to the distress call from the human colony that had been attacked and the Oberon hissed. "Oh crap…"

"What?" The word came from several throats.

"I know that form." The Oberon said, his hand going to his dagger hilt. "And we have serious problems if that monstrosity is rising again. That is _Nemesis_."

The silent _Oh Bleep_ was deafening.


	5. Chapter 5

**Talks**

"Nemesis…" The name hovered around the silent chamber of Elders. The Oberon named Carlos bowed a little and stepped back to where Kori stood, her posture one of worry.

"What do we do?" For once, the Elder known as Hans was not blustering. Indeed, he looked pale.

"What _can_ we do?" Karl replied evenly. "We have to stop this before it goes too far. Before this… horror gets completely out of hand. There is enough horror already in this fallen world we live in. This…" He shook his head. "Humanity will not survive if we do not act. Now."

"Agreed." Mavri said from his seat. He was Just as pale as the others. But then he paused. "I expected Nikis to be here."

"So did I." Karl said heavily. "I hope he didn't go hunting all by himself."

"Nikis isn't stupid, Karl." Carlos said quietly. "Cantankerous, mean and generally a pain in the butt, but not _stupid_." A soft laugh circled the room at that. "He was there last time." The laugh…died.

"Were _you_?" Mavri asked for all in the room.

"No." Carlos said heavily. "I was… brought in later. But I remember." He shook his head heavily. "We all remember. The memorials were… many."

"What…exactly… is this 'Master' thing?" One of the other Elders asked. "None of our records are clear." She wore a face veil to hide the ruin of her face, but her voice was firm and her political abilities were clear to any who spoke to her even for a little bit. Raven had found her place. She was still a member of Karl's clan, but also a probationary Elder.

"That is because no one knows, Elder Raven." Carlos said with a nod. "Some of the eldest of the Tenno who trained me claimed 'it spoke with a voice best forgotten'." A stillness swept the room and Carlos nodded again. "Despite all of our time and study, understanding eludes us. We believe it is genetic memory. A fragment of a particularly vicious individual, given sentience and power by the virus."

"You think it really _is_ Mezner?" Mavri asked into the utter silence that followed the Oberon's words. "_How?_" He demanded, dumbfounded.

"A fragment? A copy? Some kind of genetic twinning?" Carlos shrugged expressively. "I don't know. As far as I have been able to recall, no one did. I put in a call to Rachel at the Citadel. We should hear something back within the day."

"Do we _have_ a day?" Kori asked quietly. Everyone looked at her and she shook her head. "This… horror moves fast. Three outposts obliterated. One seeded with bio warfare agents. This is what we are called to fight, is it not?"

"Yes." Carlos said with a nod. "And fight it we must. Nothing else can…" He paused as one of the Elders jerked to his feet with an oath. "Elder?"

_Tenno._ The voice of the Lotus came to all of them. _The situation has changed._

"How so?" Mavri asked for all of them.

_We have received a communication. It is being routed through multiple channels and switches to prevent tracing, but… They are not trying to trace it. _The Lotus sounded… strange. Not upset. Not worried. Just... strange. Almost anticipatory? _They wish to speak to the Tenno._

"Who does?" Mavri asked, concerned.

_The Corpus Clergy. _At the Lotus soft words a sudden buzz of excited words swept the room. _This is unprecedented. Unprecedented and __dangerous__._

"They mind control people." Kori said slowly. All eyes turned to her and she shook her head. "Revealing any of the Elders to them is a mistake. Show me. I will speak for all."

"Kori." Carlos laid a hand on her arm and she shook her head.

"Carlos, think." Kori said in a reasonable tone. "If they get a mental trace on anyone, let it be the most expendable person here." She was about to speak again when Carlos slapped her. Hard. "What?" She demanded.

"I warned you what I would do if I heard you talking self-destruction again." Carlos said, his tone mixing humor and anger. "Don't push me, Sister."

"I…" Kori wilted a bit. "It's not that, Carlos. I am Tenno. I live to serve. I can assist here. I must." Carlos shook his head, but stepped away.

"I should have known that letting you hang around Ricard was a bad idea." The Oberon said dryly. "You learn all kinds of wacky things. Honor, loyalty, duty... the airspeed velocity of an unladen _swallow_…" A laugh went around the room, starting with Kori who nodded and walked to the middle of the floor before kneeling.

The room darkened, leaving a patch of light that showed only Kori. Her warframe shimmered and her visible form changed to a human woman wearing a robe. Kori took a deep breath. The Elders all rose to stand with the warframes who moved to the wall, all remaining silent.

"I am ready." The camouflaged Nyx said quietly.

_We will maintain a light mental link._ The Lotus said into the stillness that fell. _If they attempt to take control, we will stop them._

"Thank you, Lotus." Kori said formally. "Com on." She ordered.

A hologram appeared standing in front of Kori. The young human woman wore robes that were similar to Kori's but marked with Corpus colors and insignia. She seemed startled for a moment, then knelt to copy Kori's pose.

"You asked to speak with Tenno." Kori said quietly. "You took a grave risk in contacting the Tenno this way. Speak."

"A deadly threat has appeared." The old woman said quietly. "We cannot defeat it."

"And?" Kori asked, her tone utterly neutral. "What concern is that of the Tenno?"

"I thought the Tenno Code made no exceptions for fighting agents of the Techncyte infection." The Corpus woman said, just as neutral. "You must act."

"Do not presume to dictate to Tenno." Kori said, her calm deep and sure. "You have no power to do so." For a moment, the young woman bristled, but then she relaxed.

"No." The woman replied. "No, we do not." She slumped a bit. "Please, I have already lost one sister to this horror." She begged. "They want to exterminate humanity."

"And you ask the Tenno to sacrifice themselves to end it." Kori replied. "Why should they trust you?"

"They should not." The clergywoman replied evenly. Kori jerked a bit and the woman smiled a bit grimly. "Any deal or bargain we make will be overturned or ignored by the Board. They believe that their monies, their fleets, their armies of robotics will save them. They are wrong." She shook her head. "A data repository was the Enemy's latest target. Guarded by the most advanced AI proxies available and staffed with the best troops. The Enemy took it in less than an hour."

"And?" Kori asked slowly.

"They took every scrap of data in the repository." The young clergywoman replied. "Including the plans for this…" She held up a hand and an image appeared in it. A MOA, but… its hull was violet! Kori did not react and the clergywoman nodded. "You know what it is, don't you?"

"An abomination." Kori was still calm, but rage sang under her calm. Barely under it. "You took the brains of _children_ to make those monsters. It is questionable who is the more monstrous, the Command and Control MOAs or their creators."

"Their creators." The other woman slumped a bit. "We… We did not know what they were doing. We tried to stop them. You have to…" She paused and slumped further. "No… No you do not _have_ to believe _anything_ I say except this. If they build those… And build them, or something _like_ them, they likely _will_… Our proxies will turn on us. All of them." Kori nodded a little. "We will die and the enemy will be strengthened. We are human _still_. We have philosophical and physical arguments with the Tenno, but I cannot believe they want the entire human race _exterminated_."

"The Corpus are not the _entire_ human race." Kori said after a moment.

"No." The clergywoman admitted. "But if they subsume us… How long will the others live?" Kori nodded a little to accept the point.

"I have no power over the Tenno." Kori said after a moment. "I can present your case, but no more."

"That is all I –we- ask." The clergywoman said quietly. "And… for what it is worth, tell them that the ones responsible for the C&amp;C MOAs have been…dealt with." Kori inclined an eyebrow and the clergywoman laughed nastily. "They went too far, even for Executives. There _are_ limits." She said coldly. "They surpassed them."

"They will likely want all of the prototypes and data on the project destroyed." Kori said after a moment. "I cannot guarantee anything. But they will likely want that at the _very_ least."

"That we can do." The clergywoman nodded. "And _prove_ that we have done."

"Then… someone will be in touch." Kori said with a nod. "Fair profit." The clergywoman's eyes went wide and then she nodded as well. A _Corpus_ farewell?

"Be true to the Code." The clergywoman said with a smile and vanished.

"That was…" Mavri was shaking his head in awe as the lights came up. "Well done, Kori. Oh…" He said as he turned. Karl stood to one side, his hand on Elder Raven's arm. Raven was heaving in grief or rage. Or both. "Raven…" Mavri's voice was gentle as he moved to stand with her.

"I know it wasn't _her_ who tortured me…" Raven managed to choke out. "I know it was Alad V and his madness. But… I… I cannot support the Corpus, Elder Mavri. At _all_."

"No one is asking you to." Mavri said sternly. "Supporting the Corpus is… unwise generally anyway." She looked at him and he snorted without humor. "Fanatics make _very_ uncomfortable allies, Raven. Their ethics are…fluid to say the least."

"I cannot support them." Raven said, giving herself a shake and nodding to Karl who patted her arm and let go. "But… this threat…" She sighed. "What little I remember of the history of the Tenno says this threat must be countered." She shook her head. "I will… distract. I will get in the way. I must recuse myself from this."

"If you think it right, Raven." Mavri said quietly. "We would welcome your counsel, but you must do as you think."

"Right now I need to meditate." Raven said with a nod. "Thank you, Elder Mavri." Gratitude sang in her voice. "Clan Leader?" She said when Karl nodded as well.

"I am not going to make anyone support _anyone_, Raven." Karl said with a sigh. "And do you have _any_ idea what Aeron –or Jac- would do to me if I _demanded_ we help the Corpus?" He asked whimsically. Raven laughed lightly, nodded and left the room quickly. "She is a mess." Karl said with a sigh. "She isn't even close to healed."

"She is stubborn." Mavri agreed. "Typical Tenno." Karl shrugged and the Elder nodded. "She wanted to serve. She is. No one would dare gainsay her right to be angry with the Corpus. No one sane anyway."

"So… What do we do?" Kori asked as she rose and resumed her place by Carlos who nodded in respect to her.

"We find these scum." Karl said calmly. "And when we do? We find out just how tough they are."

* * *

"This is… Ahhh!" Strike screamed as he went flying. A Shield Lancer had gotten close enough to bash with his shield despite the berserker's whip. He rolled back to his feet snarling. "You gonna get it now, vat grown slug brain!" He screamed as he charged.

"Just kill them and be done with it!" Nemesis snapped as she beheaded a Grineer Heavy Gunner and rolled into a group of Grineer who were trying to set up some kind of formation. They did not succeed.

It had been bad luck that their latest attack had been just underway when a Grineer assault had hit the same village the Chosen had targeted for extermination. Probably a slave raid. The Grineer had swooped in, probably planning to overawe the limited defenses of the outpost and make off with however many humans they could catch. Every Grineer that Nemesis had seen was carrying cuffs and collars to take prisoners. So, it was likely just bad luck. Worse luck for the Grineer however. Before the clones could realize their mistake, Artillery had let loose with a missile that had blown their transport right out of the air. The troops that had been dropped had dropped right into Nemesis and Strike's laps. Very bad luck for the Grineer. Strike was having fun.

"Come on, dearie!" Strike cajoled the Scorpion he was fighting. "You can do better than that! Get that Machete up where it can… Oh to hell with it…" He lashed out with a side cutting strike that bisected the Scorpion right through her armor. "You clones are pathetic!" Strike screamed as he jumped into the last knot of Lancers, whip flashing. "I wanted a fight and you give me this pathetic crap? Bunch of fricking _losers_!"

Nemesis turned away from where Strike was laying into the dead Grineer with his whip, assuaging some of his bloodlust. Not all. Nothing could dampen it all. She shook herself and focused on the town. The humans had been penned up while she had Strike had finished off the Grineer. Then she paused. She heard something odd. She looked around, but it wasn't nearby. It was coming from the crashed Grineer transport. She strode to the ship and, after a moment, hit the 'enter' sequence on the hatch. Grineer commanders very rarely encoded the doors anyway. It was too hard to get their troops to remember the codes. Inside, the interior was smashed. Most of the crew were dead, but one was unconscious. Nemesis pulled that pilot from the wreckage of his seat and slapped restraints on him. Then she looked around. A com screen was live.

"Flight Grumush B, what is your status? What enemies did you find?" An imperious voice demanded. "We are en-route to your last known location. Galleons are moving into position for interdiction. Flight Grumush B, report. Now. The queens demand answers!"

_Galleons?_ Nemesis froze and then darted for the door. If the Grineer had spacecraft overhead… their ship was visible from orbit and vulnerable! She grabbed the pilot and ran.

_Strike, Artillery, Squads!_ Nemesis called through the hivemind as she pounded back towards the ship. _We have Grinner vessels inbound. We need to get out of here before they clear the horizon or they will turn this outpost into a _**_crater_**_ with us in the middle of it!_

_Ship is powering up. _Tech reported. _We are clear for the moment._

_Won't last. _Nemesis snapped. _Strike, _**_move_**_!_ She commanded as his icon did not leave the outpost. Probably slaughtering humans.

_I want to kill more stinki-_ Strike's words cut off in mid-syllable and she could feel the master taking control of him.

_Nemesis. Go._ The Master commanded as Nemesis ran into the ship. The troops are moving. Artillery stepped into the ship, laying his massive weapon in an alcove reserved for it. Then he moved aside as the troops pounded up the ramp, quickly followed by the muttering Strike.

"Keep us as low as you can when we lift off." Nemesis said as she dropped the pilot for Mender to convert. "We will need to evade their scanner or they can blast us to pieces from a distance."

"We will not be able to avoid their scanners forever." Tech replied from where he sat. The ship's engines powered up with a thrum. "The outpost?"

"Missile." Nemesis said with a snarl and Tech nodded. "Make it dirty." Tech nodded again as Nemesis sank to a pad near where Mender was perusing some kind of holo. "Mender?"

"We can escape." Mender said quietly. "You gave us enough warning. A Grineer?" She said, looking over the pilot who was now in the pod and being changed.

"Pilot." Nemesis felt tired suddenly. She realized she hadn't slept in some time and lay back. "Only survivor of the transport crew. We could use him. Tech is good, but we could use a dedicated pilot."

"Yes, we can." Mender agreed. "You are tired. Rest. We have this."

"No biomass from this outpost." Nemesis said sadly as the ship gave a lurch. The missile that was launched would obliterate the outpost, rendering the land uninhabitable for a long, long time with radioactives. Not a nuclear weapon. But the next best thing for denying an enemy access to an area. The ship's engines picked up speed and Nemesis heard the distant rumble of the missile exploding. She felt… nothing. Killing that way was… distant. Not real to her.

"We have a surplus at the moment, sister." Mender said gently. "Rest."

"Yes." Nemeis lay back and then sighed. "The Corpus will be looking as well."

"They won't be that big a problem. We found something very interesting in the Corpus databanks." Mender said as she oozed closer. "A new kind of MOA that requires human brains to operate."

"Oh?" Nemesis did not react as Mender laid a pseudopod on her arm. If her sister wanted her asleep, Nemesis would sleep.

"And… we have that body with no volition just begging to be used for something." Mender said brightly. "Tech thinks he can improve the chassis."

"That would be good." Nemesis agreed. "Sedative?" She asked.

"Do you need one?" Mender asked kindly.

"No." Nemesis said with a sigh as she sank into slumber. But…

* * *

She sat upright as she realized that 1) she wasn't on the ship anymore, 2) she wasn't wearing her armor and 3) she was sitting on grass underneath a tree. A dark haired human woman stood well out of reach, staring at her.

"So you are the new Nemesis…" The woman said with a sigh. "Too much to hope that it wouldn't happen again."

"Who are you?" Nemesis demanded, suddenly afraid, but not sure why.

"My name is Nadia Sudek." The woman said with a shrug. "And a long, long time ago? I was _you_."


	6. Chapter 6

**You reap what you sow**

"I don't care who you are!" Nemesis snapped, jumping to her feet. "This isn't real!"

"Well, duh." Nadia said with a smirk. "Not the brightest of bulbs, are you?"

"This is intolerable!" Nemesis snapped, focusing her mind, but she couldn't hear the hivemind. She couldn't access any of her minions or the other Chosen. The Master likewise, didn't seem to be listening. "What have you done?" She demanded.

"I sequestered you so we could talk for a moment." Nadia said mildly. Nemesis readied herself and Nadia sighed. "And… before you do anything dumb…" She raised a hand and Nemesis was suddenly three or so meters in the air, hanging over empty space. "You like the view from up there?" Nadia asked snidely. "I can show you what it looks like from a _thousand_ meters."

"Ok." Nemesis forced herself to calm. "You have power. You are still _dead_."

"Yes." Far from cowed, Nadia actually nodded. "Yes, I am. The thing is… I _know_ I am. You _don't_."

"What are you talking about?" Nemesis scoffed. "I am not _dead_!"

"Yes, you are." Nadia said, her face turning sad. "You don't know it, but you _are_. Nothing I say or do can change it. Nothing _you_ do or say can change it. You died."

"And I was _reborn!_" Nemesis shouted with glee, only to pause as Nadia sighed again. "What?" She demanded.

"Do you _really_ think your master has that power?" Nadia asked softly. "He didn't when I knew him, although he _believed_ he did. He was a madman then and he hasn't improved much since he keeps doing the exact same thing…" She shook her head. "One definition of true insanity is doing the exact same thing, the _exact_ same way and expecting a _different_ outcome each time." She shrugged. "Not my problem. I just wanted to see what you were like." She smiled bit sadly. "He picked a proper vessel to empty and refill. One filled with hate and weak of mind. Your fate is sealed, Nemesis."

"Your insults are meaningless!" Nemesis said sharply as she sat in midair. "You either a liar or a fool."

"I have been both." Nadia replied without heat. "But this I _do_ know, Nemesis. _You_ are doomed. In no way, in no shape or form, will _you_ survive what is coming. They _never_ do." She shook her head. "I keep trying, but you idiotic witches keep _ignoring_ me. I guess it's my penance for being stupid all those years ago." She was fading now, or Nemesis was. "Enjoy the rest of your short life, moron. You won't get any second chances this time."

"You are weak!" Nemesis screamed. "I am _stronger_ than you will _ever_ be!"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda…" Nadia said with a sigh as she sat. "Same old Nemesis… Same taunts, same threats… Sheesh… I was a moron too, but… geez… At least _I_ grew up a bit. Took dying, but I did. You… You won't get that chance. Bye now." She waved a hand and Nemesis was falling…

* * *

Nemesis woke up sure that something was wrong. But nothing presented itself. Mender looked up from where she sat, working on something that looked vaguely disturbing. It had… tentacles and was moving. No one else was in the room and the thrum of the ship's engines was clear and constant.

"Did you have a good rest, sister?" Mender inquired.

"I did." Nemesis replied. "Status?"

"We escaped the planet." Mender said calmly. "Pilot is being hooked into the ship as we speak. He will be connected permanently."

"The Grineer?" Nemesis asked as she sat up, checking all of her systems automatically.

"They pursued, but Tech launched a drone that they chased instead of us." Mender laughed coldly. "It will let them draw it in, drop some self-replicating controllers and then explode."

"Good." Nemesis said with a nod. "It likely won't convert the whole ship, but that will make either make them more cautious or angry. Either one can be used to our advantage." She rose from her pad and moved to where Mender sat. "What are you working on?"

"Tech found any number of mechanical problems with the Corpus design that we acquired." Mender replied evenly, her eyes all focusing on her work. "Whoever built that thing was sloppy, or drunk, according to Tech."

"Maybe both, knowing the Corpus." Nemesis said with a snort. Mender looked at her and she sighed and knelt. "Check me? I am not supposed to have emotions."

"I can do it remotely." Mender said, not moving from her spot. She paused. "You are… distressed by something."

"I am?" Nemesis asked, confused. "I don't feel it. Can you tell what?"

"No." Mender said after a moment. "It seems like a memory, but it faded before I could scan it." Nemesis waited and Mender sighed. "Whatever it was is gone now. I have set a telltale in case you have it again."

"Good." Nemesis agreed. "Your project?"

"Tech came up with number of improvements for the Corpus Command and Control MOA design." Mender sounded eager now. Then again, she was programmed to derive pleasure from molding souls to serve the master. "We are growing a body that will serve us well." Nemesis looked at the thing in front of Mender and then at Mender who laughed. "No, this is not the thing's body. This is the connection between the body and the brain."

"What is the body then?" Nemesis asked. Instead of answering, Mender waved a pseudopod at one wall and a tank appeared on it. Inside the tank, a four legged furred form floated. "What is that?" Nemesis asked. She hadn't see that kind of creature before.

"A Kubrow." Mender replied evenly. "An Orokin guard animal. I grew that one." She made a noise of disgust. "The MOA control mechanism still requires a human brain to operate though. Cloned brains don't meet all the parameters, according to Tech."

"So…" Nemesis looked from the alien dog to Mender. "What did you do? That Corpus woman? The one who tried to take control of me?"

"There was nothing left of her mind." Mender said, regret singing. But not for the death of the human. For the loss of the chance to warp and twist. "So… We had a perfectly viable human brain. And now, we have a Command and Control Kubrow. When this is finished anyway." She turned back to her work. "At the next target, see if you can find some children or adolescents. We could use more samples for bio weapon fabrication."

"Will do." Nemesis said as she rose and moved to do what she did. Find the enemies of the Master and slay them.

* * *

She was dark. She was cold. Everything was cold and wet and alien. She could not feel anything but cold. Then pain seared into her and she gave out a scream, but… it came out a bark?

_Obey._

The word sidled through her mind, her consciousness and she felt…wrong. This was wrong. _She _was wrong. Whatever was going on, she was…

"Something is wrong!" The voice was familiar somehow. Female. Angry. Enemy. She growled at the voice, even though she could not see the speaker.

"Back off, Nemesis!" Another voice said sharply. Something touched her and she felt… odd. Something wafted through her. Soothing, calming. But… ti was wrong. She knew it was wrong. The voice spoke again. "This is odd. The Kubrow is acting as if it knows us. But it can't. The brain's memory centers were trashed completely. Nothing left even before I wiped it further."

"Is it going to work, or did we waste our time?" The first voice said with a hint of anger and she snarled again in the direction it had come from.

"It is…working." The second voice said, somewhat dubious. "The readings are clear. The signals are being translated through the command and control matrix. So it will take control of any Corpus automatons it encounters. But… This is most peculiar." Another touch and she relaxed. She didn't want to, but she did. She whined in fear. "Easy." The voice crooned, but she did not relax again.

"Mender, we have landed." The first voice said sharply. "We have to go now if we want to hit that Corpus base before they detect us. Is it ready or not?"

"I think it is." The one called Mender said, but sounded unsure. "This is…not as it should be. Here…"

She went still as light suddenly blinded her. Her eyes had opened. She stared up at a green form. Something that had no real shape, it seemed a blob of… something. She tried her legs and they moved little, but not much.

"Can you stand?" The second voice was coming from the blob thing. "Your name is Lilly." That sounded both right and wrong. She managed to get her legs underneath her and rose on unsteady feet.

"Come on." The first voice sounded from nearby and she turned to see a huge form whose skin looked like metal. One appendage was long and sharp looking, the other bulbous. "Move, you silly canine!"

She growled at them. These were not friends. She didn't know _who_ they were, but they were not friends! Both of them retreated a bit.

"Mender, what the _hell_?" The armored form snapped. "Is it ours or not?"

"I…" The blob made a noise of uncertainty. "It _should_ be. The controls are in place. It should obey." _Obey._ The word ran through her head again and she growled louder. "Oh dear…" The blob said slowly. "Nemesis…" It made a noise of disgust as she turned and showed her disapproval of them all. Right on the floor in front of the blob thing. "Eww…."

"That is it!" The armored form drew back its arm, the sharp one. "We can make _another._"

"Nemesis! No!" The blob screamed as the armored form stepped forward and swung, but she was in motion. She darted past the momentarily overbalanced form and ran for where she saw an opening. "Stop it! But alive! We need it alive!"

She bowled into another armored form and yelped in pain as her shoulder hit hard metal. But she bounced off it and ran. Something sang through the air near her, but she avoided it deftly and kept running.

"Seal the ship!" The voice of the one called Nemesis sounded from behind her and she put on more speed. "Now!" Then she saw an opening ahead. A landscape shone beyond, but it was closing! She ran faster, hurdling armored form that tried to grab her, darting under, around and through the mob and then, she snacked out just as a huge metal thing slammed shut behind her.

She ran. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. But she had to get away. She would find underbrush to hide in and get to the hills she could see in the distance…

Something hit her. She yelped as she found herself flying through the air. She hit the ground and scrambled to her feet, but one of her hind legs wasn't working. She turned and saw wet red stuff on her fur. That wasn't good. Then pain. She was _hurt!_ They had hurt her! She yowled in rage and pain and ran on three legs. She could hear the sounds of pursuit behind her. But she had to get away. She had to. She wasn't sure why. But those were not friends. Whoever they were, they were definitely not friends!

"Enough." The voice of the one called Nemesis came from the side and the ground in front of her erupted. She howled in fear and ran on. "Stop, you dumb mutt!" The armored one sounded upset now.

Something hit her as she scrambled over a low rise and she fell. She stared up at the long metal thing that pinned her leg to the ground. She snarled at the armored form that was approaching now.

"We wanted to do this the easy way, you stupid animal." Nemesis snapped. "Now we do it the hard way." Nemesis reached for the metal thing impaling her leg. It flew back to the monster's hand and then the armored thing paused as another voice sounded.

"_Stupid?_" The voice was odd. Old. But firm. "That is rich coming from _you._" The Kubrow went still as something moved between it and the form of Nemesis. It was… black. She should have been afraid of it. She knew that. But… for some reason, she wasn't.

"Tenno." Nemesis sounded elated. "I have been praying to meet another of you."

"I bet you have." The odd black form said dryly.

"Now you die." Nemesis raised her sharp arm weapon thing, but the odd black form did not react. Did not act afraid at _all_.

"Not today, you stupid little brat." He waved a hand at the armored form and to the Kubrow's surprise, Nemesis gave a shrill cry, turned and _ran_. The Kubrow growled as the dark form turned and bent down. "Easy, milady…" The black form sounded both cautious and concerned. "You are hurt."

She snapped at him, but she was weakening. She could feel warm wetness flowing down her side. She stared up at the black for and whimpered a bit.

"It's okay." The black form said gently, a hand coming down to stroke her head gently. "It's okay. I am not your enemy. I know you are confused. I know you are hurting. I can help. Will you let me?" He retreated a bit. "We don't have a lot of time, milady."

_M… Milady…?_ The word felt wrong. Everything felt wrong. She whined. _Hurts… _Was it in her head or aloud? Had she spoken?

"I know." The black form sounded upset now as he reached down and gathered her up in arms that was far gentler than they looked. "It will be…"

"There!" Nemesis shouted from the distance. "_Tenno_! Kill it! Reclaim the controller!" The Kubrow whined, but the black form just chuckled softly.

"Idiots." Suddenly… The Kubrow went still as dark forms simply appeared all around the black form that was carrying her easily now. There were many of them. Dozens. They turned as one and charged where Nemesis stood, obviously gaping at the sudden army that was attacking her. The Kubrow whined again as something hurt. But then the pain faded. "Easy, Milady…" The dark form said gently as he picked up speed. "The shades will keep them busy until they won't have a chance of tracking us quickly. But you need help. Takes a really rotten type to shoot a Kubrow… Really, _really_ rotten."

She tried to stay awake. She really did. But the darkness dragged her down. Odd. She wasn't afraid now. She should be. This being was terrifying. But… She wasn't.

* * *

"Have you lost your _mind_, Nikis?" Karl demanded as Alicia worked. "We are setting up for battle and you bring a _Kubrow_ for Alicia to tend?" The Kubrow was unconscious, which was a mercy from the wounds that the Trinity was tending.

"Not just a Kubrow, Karl." Nikis wasn't perturbed by Karl's anger. "Something odd about her. Alicia?"

"This isn't…"Alicia made a confused noise. "It's a Kubrow, but the brain is human and these…" She waved at a series of highlighted holographic scans. "I swear these bio circuits look like the mess that was in Cecelia's MOA body."

"They built a Command and Control form." Karl inhaled sharply. "Nikis…"

"She was running from them." Nikis said with a shrug. "Might be a setup of some kind, but my gut says no. She was trying hard to get away from them." He sighed. "They shot her, Karl."

"Nikis…" Karl groaned. 'We don't have _time_ for this!"

"I know." Nikis agreed. "I bought a bit of time. They will hunt for me. Want to ambush them?"

"Yeah." Karl said sourly. "Now that you have left us no alternatives." He sighed. "Aeron and Two are set up to take out the big one with the big guns. We will take the other two."

"It ain't gonna be that easy, Karl." Nikis said softly. "It never is."

"I know." Karl agreed. "I looked over the records." He sounded sick now.

"I am with you, Karl." Nikis said quietly. "I know how these fight. They will have a mob of minions. They will try to pin us in place for their big guns to hit. If they can't –and we won't let them- they will localize us so their leaders can engage. The one with the whip will be a handful, likely a berserker type. The last three occurrences had those. But Nemesis is the key. That one is the leader. Kill or disable it, and the others will retreat."

"Just like that?" Karl asked dubiously.

"Oh, it will be a bit more involved than that." Nikis turned as a soft sound came. He nodded to the Kubrow whose eyes were open. "You do good work, Alicia. Rest, milady." He said to the Kubrow who was staring at him and the others in open curiosity. "When you can, flee."

_You… good…_ The Kubrow managed to croak out. Bioengineered or not, it's voice was odd. More bark than human voice, it was intelligible.

"No, I am not." Nikis said sadly. "I am making up for a lot of bad."

_You… good._ The Kubrow gave a sigh and relaxed.

Nikis snorted and then paused. Karl, Alicia, Will, Ric, Olim, and Mori were all looking at him. "What?" He demanded.

"Nothing." Karl said, but his tone said otherwise.

"Not a word, boy." Nikis said sharply as he started off back the way he had come. "Not. A. Word."

He was following an ancient stream bed when he saw them approaching. He stopped in the middle of the dry waterway and waited, his hands on his pistols.

"_You_…" The voice was one he remembered. It was coming from the new Nemesis, but it wasn't female. "Where is the sword?" The master of this evil demanded.

"Wouldn't you _love_ to know?" Nikis retorted evenly. "You haven't learned a _thing_ since the last time have you?"

"Your tricks will not save you this time, charlatan." This was Nemesis. As arrogant as ever. In the distance, he could see more Grineer slaves approaching. All looked to be carrying heavy weapons and the big Chosen was with them, its huge weapon glinting ominously.

"No tricks this time, idiot child." Nikis said, his tone cold. "Your master has left, hasn't he?" Nemesis stared at him and he laughed coldly. "He remembers what happened the _last_ time we faced one another."

"You do not have the sword." Nemesis said with a laugh of her own.

"Against _you?_" Nikis hawked and spat. "Do I _need_ it?" Then his pistols were in hand and spewing fire.


	7. Chapter 7

**Even Odds**

She woke to the sound of thunder in the distance. Odd thunder, it kept coming and coming. She jerked as memory flared, but nothing hurt now. She stared around, looking for the kind soul in the dark and scary suit who had helped her, but he was nowhere to be seen. She felt… odd. Everything felt… not quite right.

"Easy." A soft voice sounded from nearby and she jumped as a piece of the landscape came alive. What she had taken for an oddly shaped rock turned out to be another being in an odd suit. The voice was female and kind. She relaxed a bit. "I won't hurt you." The female said softly.

_I…_ She went still. How was she speaking? She couldn't. When she tried to breathe in and speak normally, it didn't work, all she produced was an odd rasping whine. Fear rose. _What?_

"It's okay." The female said gently. "I know you are confused. I know you are scared. But there is no reason to be now."

_Monsters. Monsters had me… They hurt me…_ She stared down at her form and shuddered as she saw four legs curled up around herself. _What am I?_

"You are a Kubrow." The kind woman said with a nod. "A canid life form. Based on old Earth dogs." She chuckled a bit. "But not a dog." A rumble in the distance sounded and the Kubrow stared off to where light was flashing in odd patterns. "It's okay." The woman reassured her. "My clan are here, they are fighting."

_Fighting the monsters._ The Kubrow asked, slowly coming to grips with her odd speech patterns. _But… They were horrible. Not humans…_

"No." The woman said sadly. "No, they are not." She shook herself. "Um… I didn't introduce myself. My name is Kori. Do you have a name?" She asked.

_One of the monsters called me 'Lilly.'_ The Kubrow said after a moment. _That… doesn't seem right. And I do not want to be theirs!_ She said fiercely.

"You are not." The other woman said calmly. "You are your own person. They made you, but you broke with them."

_Did I?_ The Kubrow asked after a moment. _Or is this some kind of monstrous trick? Some way of hurting people? Is that why you are here? Watching me? _The thought… did not bother her.

"Partly." Kori replied. "But also to make sure than none of their minions stumbled across you while you slept. Now that you are awake… You can do what you wish."

_You were… __protecting__ me?_ Drawn by some instinct she couldn't quite define, the Kubrow rose to all four feet. She marveled that the pain she had been feeling was all gone. These were good people. Not at all like the monsters. _I…_

"Easy." Kori said quietly as the Kubrow walked up to her and nuzzled her. The armor that Kori was wearing felt nothing like the armor that the others had worn. It was alive, alive and warm under the Kubrow's nose. Then she jerked and gave a small cry. The Kubrow retreated a step.

_What?_ The canid inquired.

"The battle… it does not go well…" Kori swallowed hard. "My kin need me."

_You helped me._ The Kubrow said slowly, but with gathering surety. _I will help you._

"You have been abused and hurt." Kori said as she rose slowly. "You need rest and… if we fail… You need to flee."

_Then you must not fail._ The Kubrow said firmly. _I feel…_ Something impinged on her awareness. An oddity. A small metallic form was flying in the near distance. She focused on it and froze as it did. A torrent of information flared in her brain and she could not restrain a whine of pain as she collapsed. Kori was right beside in a flash.

"What happened?" The armored woman asked, worried.

_I don't know._ The Kubrow replied. She nodded to where the flying machine was hovering immobile now._ The machine… I…I can feel it… Others are approaching. Many others… _She went still as Kori inhaled in horror.

"Oh no…" Kori leapt to her feet. "The Corpus! They will attack while my kin are distracted!" The Kubrow stared at Kori and then focused on the machine. It hovered for a moment and then shot off. "That tears it! We have to retreat."

_No._ The Kubrow said softly. _They were going to, now they will not._ _Reinforcements are en route. Your kin need help, yes?_ She rose to stand by Kori.

"What?" Kori stammered, confused.

_I don't know how. But I just took control of every one of the machines in the area._ The Kubrow said, unease percolating. _If the monsters made me, then __this__ is why they did. But they had to control me… They couldn't. Or… I don't think they could… I was built to control these kind of machines. To kill… to kill people…_

"Oh." Kori knelt down and held out her arms. "What a horrible burden." The Kubrow came close and Kori threw her arms gently over the canid who leaned into the embrace gratefully.

_Watch me, Kori._ The Kubrow said quietly. _If I turn on you…_

"You won't." Kori's faith touched the canid and she nuzzled the armored woman's face affectionately. "My clan need help."

_Then let us give it._ The armored woman started off, the four legged female at her heels. They ran lightly and quickly over the landscape until they came to a small valley. In it was a dry streambed that held… horror.

A dozen armored forms struggled against a horde of nightmarish forms. For every one that the armored forms cut down or gunned down, two more seemed to arrive. The enemy's ranks were swelling. Not that they seemed to need it. Many of the armored form's bullets either bounced off or passed through the enemies without causing harm. Blade strikes as well seemed to do little damage.

"Enough!" Kori screamed and a pulse of power swept from her.

The Kubrow paused, stunned as half of the enemies turned on each other. But only for a moment. Then they returned to fighting the other armored forms. But that moment of respite had given the armored forms time to regroup. Several of them showed signs of damage or injuries. One was down. Hurt or slain, the Kubrow did not know. Kori screamed, a heartwrenchign sound of pure agony, but when the Kubrow turned to look at her, nothing had hit her. But she was clutching her head.

A massive explosion sounded nearby and the Kubrow ducked as the ground heaved. Kori was tossed away to land in a heap. A huge enemy moved towards them, it's massive weapon almost the same size as the enemy himself. She growled in warning, but he ignored that, reaching for her with the hand that was not on the control of the weapon.

_Obey._ The word sang through her body and soul. But she would not submit. She could not. She _would_ not. She snarled and backed up a step. Then another, as the huge form closed the distance.

_Back off!_ She screamed in her mind and the huge enemy paused for a moment, then started to close again. She stared around wildly, looking for the black armored one who had helped her before. But… She couldn't see him. Indeed, she couldn't see anything now, but the huge hand that was moving towards her. To take her. To enslave her. _Never!_ She screamed in the silence of her mind.

_You belong with us._ The voice was calm and cold. _You are ours. _But then massive explosions started in the enemy ranks as a dark from swooped down from high above. Some kind of machine.

The Kubrow darted away from the enemy who was raising it's weapon now to fire on the odd machine that was hovering now. But then, she felt something else. A line of code in her mind. Code she understood!

_Command and Control protocols recognized. Raptor online. Orders?_ The machine was _talking_ to her. It was awaiting her commands. What the hell was a Raptor? The machine spoke again. _Proxies inbound. Designate targets._

_Help me!_ The Kubrow commanded, her near panicked flight slowing and stopping as she turned and saw… a horde of machines sweeping down from one wall of the valley. Somehow, she blinked and a red box covered the huge enemy with the large weapon. _Target priority. Destroy._

_Acknowledged. _The Raptor Drone replied and then the Kubrow recoiled as the area around the huge enemy erupted in explosions and fire. Dozens of machines moved to fire at the same target and he screamed shrilly in the firestorm. But he was standing near where Kori lay still!

_Kori!_ The Kubrow screamed as she ran back towards where the kind woman lay. _No! Defend that human! _A phalanx of machines moved to stand between the unconscious female and the enemy who were slowly retreating.

The other armored forms redoubled their efforts and several more of the enemy fell before they finally started running. The last two, the one called Nemesis and another who was swinging a vicious whip, paused at the top of a hill.

"You have won nothing, Tenno." Nemesis called. The Raptor swooped down and she fled, the machines following. The white armored form of the leader looked around and then at the Kubrow who was moving to where Kori lay still.

"I assume you did that?" He said calmly. The Kubrow nodded. "Thank you." He said with a nod. "Pull them back." He said as he strode to where the Kubrow was now nuzzling Kori, trying to wake her. "The enemy have hacking ability. If they get too close to the ship, they can hack the machines and thus you." The Kubrow paused, swallowed hard and nodded again.

_You helped me._ The Kubrow replied, fear in her voice. _I wanted to help you. Kori…_ She said weakly. _Please wake up._

"She tried to mind control one of the enemy." The white armored form said softly. "The backlash hurt her."

_She can't die!_ The Kubrow begged. _She is kind…_

"Everything dies, darling." The Kubrow gave a soft bark of relief as the black armored form rose from where he had been lying and shook himself. "Lousy stinking back biters… I must be getting old. Haven't been blindsided that bad in decades." He bent down and picked up a pair of weapons that he holstered.

"You okay, Nikis?" Karl asked softly. Others of the armored forms were moving about, finishing off wounded enemy and checking their fallen. "That scum with the whip hit you hard."

"Hurts, but I am intact." The one called Nikis knelt by where the Kubrow was trying to get Kori to wake. "Darling… She may not wake. And if she does? She may not be the same. What she did was brave but foolish."

_I…_ The Kubrow whined sadly. _I understand. She was kind to me. I wish…wish I could help her._

"You can." Nikis said gently. "Be here for her. She will need care and comfort. She needs to know that she is not alone. That is the enemy's greatest weapon, fear."

_I will not leave her alone._ The Kubrow said firmly. _And…_ The machines around the valley arrayed themselves in a battle formation and an alert pinged into her mind. The Raptor's scanners had picked up new contacts. _Humans approach! Armed humans! Friend or foe?_

"Not sure." The white armored form said with a wince. "Alicia! Get everyone patched us to travel. Nikis…" He paused as the black armored form scooped Kori up and hefted her easily. "Never mind." He said dryly. "I will see what they want."

"Be careful, Karl." Another voice that the Kubrow sort of recognized spoke and she looked to where a blue and white armored form was doing…something to another that lay still. "Come on Will, don't be lazy."

"Frack that thing hit hard…" A dazed voice sounded and she helped another armored form up. "Never been hit that hard before. Even Krill doesn't hit like that…"

"Come on, darling." Nikis said quietly as the white armored form moved to stand near where the humans would enter the valley. "We need to go."

_I should stay._ The Kubrow temporized. _If the machines are needed to fight the humans…_

"The machines _belong_ to the humans, girl." Nikis said softly. "If they discover what you just did, there will be hell to pay. Come on." He urged her.

_I don't know what to do._ The Kubrow admitted. _But you and Kori were kind. You saved me. She protected me while I was unconscious._

"I find your kind a lot easier to deal with than Tenno or humans." Nikis admitted as they walked. "Uh oh…" He said softly as the machines around eth area suddenly turned and aimed their weapons at the armored forms. "Um… darling…?"

_That wasn't me! _The Kubrow had frozen in place. She tried to access the odd link she had managed before but it didn't work. _I can't access them now!_

"I bet you can, just not the same way." Nikis said quietly. "But we are in trouble. Half the clan is hurt. Most of us are low on ammo. If they start shooting… Run."

_I won't leave you!_ The Kubrow declared with a growl.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Nikis said softly. "Here come the boxheads…" Indeed, the Kubrow stared as she saw the humans. Their helmets _did_ look like boxes.

"Well, well, well…" One of them declared. "What have we here?" None of the armored forms deigned to reply and he snorted. "A pack of Betrayers, all nicely caught. I smell profit."

_Lilly._ The Kubrow went still. There was a voice in her head and it was not hers! _It's okay, Lilly. I am a friend._

_I don't know you! _The Kubrow snapped, trying to growl, but she made no noise. She tried to move and couldn't.

_I know._ The voice was female, kind and sad. _I need you to do something for me, Lilly. I need an open com channel from one of the proxies._

_What good will that do?_ The Kubrow demanded as Karl slowly unholstered his long bladed staff.

_We need the Tenno alive and fighting, Lilly._ The voice said gently. _Try channel Nine, they rarely block that one. _The Kubrow snarled mentally, but did as instructed. She went still as every single machine in the area… powered down. The flying ones sank to the ground and folded up on themselves. _Thank you, Lilly._

One of the machines -the flying one called Raptor- moved forwards, a holo emitter shining. A hologram of a robed woman appeared in the middle of everything. She looked around and nodded.

"Executive Nishon." The woman said calmly. "Stand down."

"I don't take orders from…" The human who had spoken before snapped, only to pause as one of the others grabbed his arm, obviously saying something that even the Kubrow's sharp ears could not catch. A soft exclamation was heard and the human sounded _scared_ when he spoke again. "Reverend Mother… this is unprecedented."

"The threat we _face_ is unprecedented." The holo replied evenly. "We are at a cusp, Executive. If we fail, if we serve only ourselves, we lose everything. Humanity as whole will _die_. Stand down. Now." She commanded.

"But…" The Executive sputtered and then froze as the Raptor rose into the air, it's missile banks opening. The target was clear and every one of the other humans moved away from the executive who had frozen in place. "I…"

"Obey or _die_, Executive Nishon." The holo commanded. "We do _not_ have time for this! Your _successor_ might be more amenable to common sense!"

"I… I will obey." The executive said after a moment. "But I _will_ lodge a protest with the Board!"

"Protest away." The holo replied evenly. "At least you will be _alive _to do so. Which is more than would have been the case if these had not stopped the enemy." The executive bristled. "Shut up, Nishon." The holo said before he could speak again. "I am sure you and your men would have fought bravely. But you would have all _died_. For _nothing_. Go back to the outpost. If the enemy has not leveled it as they fled. Maybe if you are not stupid enough to pick fights with Tenno, you will live to see another day." She sounded…remarkably unconcerned with his fate.

"Ah… Reverend Mother…" The executive stammered. "The proxies…?"

"I don't _trust_ you." The holo said flatly. "Get lost. Now." The Kubrow watched with no small amusement as the humans almost ran from the valley, the mechanical forms watching them like… well, a horde of death machines. Only after they were gone did the holo turn to where the white armored form stood. "Tenno. They did it. They made a Command and Control form…" Her voice was sad and sick now. "Ah, Lilly…"

_Who are you?_ The Kubrow demanded.

"Once… I was your friend and mentor." The woman replied. "You were my agent. But you do not remember. I…" She seemed to slump. "Go." She said to the Tenno. "Take Lilly and go."

_But…_ The Kubrow looked at the machines arrayed around and whined a bit.

"Lilly, you do not remember me." The woman said softly. "I could gain limited access, but no more. I could feel no trace of who you were. They killed you. The enemy killed you. We shared thoughts often enough while I trained you. But… You are not her. Not anymore. I must return the proxies to the base. But I _can_ delay their return. Tenno. Please…" She begged. "Take Lilly and _go_. If the Board find out she exists… A Command and Control form… They will kill her and dissect her to try and build more abominations. Please." She begged. "_You_ can protect her. I _can't_."

_She… wasn't __just__ a friend, was she?_ The Kubrow asked, stunned as the armored forms started moving. All of them held weapons ready, but none of the machines as much as twitched. _Lilly?_

"No." The Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy admitted. "Before that? She was my daughter."


	8. Chapter 8

**A Tenno's best friend**

She lay quiet while the doctors worked on Kori. She couldn't do anything but wait. These… 'Tenno' had been more than kind. More than fair. She was an abomination. She knew that. It felt… wrong to be here. In a place that she had been reassured was safe. She didn't belong here.

"Hey." The voice of the dark one –Nikis- came from nearby and she turned to see him standing by the door. "You look… distressed."

_I am._ The Kubrow said after a moment. _I don't know what to think. Was I really that old woman's daughter?_

"We may never know." Nikis replied quietly. "Some humans lie as easy as breathing. The Corpus in particular seem to revel in it. As long as it turns them a profit, anything is fair game. Anything at all." He hawked and spat, but the Kubrow didn't mind. She felt more at ease with the dark form than any of the others. Maybe Kori. Maybe. "It is possible." He admitted when the Kubrow turned her head to look at where Kori lay. "Probable? I don't know. What happened isn't your fault." He said as he knelt beside her.

_I feel it is._ The Kubrow said heavily. _I don't… I didn't know what I was doing. If I had… I would have commanded those machines to attack first thing. Instead, I froze. _Shame sang in her mental speech.

"Darling, you are not a trained warrior." Nikis said gently. "And you want to know something? Many trained warriors freeze the first time." The Kubrow turned to stare sharply at him and he nodded.

_Why do you call me that?_ The Kubrow asked after a moment. _You called me 'milady' when we first me. Now you call me 'darling'. I didn't know you. Did I?_ She paused. Was the dark form _embarrassed?_ His posture said it, even if she couldn't smell anything but the scent of his armor.

"I um…" Nikis paused, then continued. "I was partnered with a Kubrow once. She was…" He looked away.

_I am sorry._ The Kubrow said instantly, not wanting to give offense. _I did not mean to pry._

"You haven't." Nikis laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a scratch. She sighed as some of the tension left her body. It felt…right. "It was a long time ago. She was a good soul. But she wanted pups, so she went and found a mate. Had a family. It was right for her. We both agreed it was a good thing. But I do miss her."

_What was her name? _The Kubrow asked after a moment. _From your words, she is no more?_

"Her name was Maxine and I… don't know." Nikis said quietly. "I looked, but… I never found any sign of her or her family."

_Oh._ The Kubrow sighed and turned back to where Kori was lying. _I do not like seeing her like this._

The docs had removed Kori from her armor and she lay pale and still in the bed. Outside of her armor, Kori had dark skin and short dark hair framing a face that looked as if it were accustomed to smiles. But she wasn't smiling now. She hadn't woken. From what the others had said, she might not.

_What happened?_ The Kubrow asked finally. _To Kori?_

"She touched the mind of the Enemy." Nikis' voice was calm, but underneath the calm lay a rage as deep as space. "She didn't know any better. She did as she was trained. It is what she does, manipulates enemy minds to control the battlefield."

_A powerful ability._ The Kubrow commented. _So… The Enemy hurt her?_

"Yes." Nikis agreed. "It might have been deliberate. It might not have been. The sheer power in the Enemy's massed mind is daunting. One of my… colleagues touched it during one of the other… occurrences of this horror and she… she went mad." The Kubrow whined and leaned into his hand and he nodded to her. "I don't know if Kori touched it directly or not. If she did… she may be lost to us."

_You mean the Enemy may take her?_ The Kubrow tensed. _No! We cannot let that happen!_

"Darling, it may have already happened." Nikis said quietly. "We won't know until she wakes. Maybe not even then. It all depends on _how_ she wakes."

_Or __if__ she does._ The Kubrow winced and Nikis scratched her again. _She is…a good person._

"Yes she is." Nikis agreed. "You need to know. Her brother left to get information on the enemy. When he returns… he is going to be upset."

_I can understand that._ The doctors stepped away from where Kori lay and nodded to the Kubrow and Nikis. _May I…?_ She wasn't sure who she was asking, but Nikis just chuckled.

"No one will try and stop you, darling." Nikis rose as the Kubrow did. She padded to the bed and, after a quick check, jumped up. There was plenty of space. She sat down next to Kori and laid her snout on the still Tenno's chest. "Sleep if you can, darling."

_I think I need another name._ The Kubrow said with a hint of amusement. _If you keep calling me that, people may get the wrong idea._

"Mind wiped and already developing a twisted sense of humor." Nikis said with a snort as he knelt nearby. "You are going to fit in just _fine_ around here."

_I feel…_ The Kubrow said slowly. _I feel something odd about her. I am not sure what it is._

"You _feel?_" One of the doctors paused as she was leaving. She had been introduced as Amelia. "What do you feel?"

_Kori is afraid._ The Kubrow said softly. _She is…_ The canid moved her head so that her chin was touching Kori's. _She is crying. Alone in the dark. She needs help!_ The Kubrow said sharply.

"Darling…" Nikis said slowly. "If she was taken, it is likely a trap."

_And if she __wasn't?_ The Kubrow demanded. Nikis looked at her and then laid a slow hand on Kori's brow.

"Darling, I don't feel anything." Nikis said softly. The Kubrow made a soft growling noise and Nikis shook his head. "I am not disputing that you _do._ I am just saying that I don't. The docs don't. I don't think we can help her."

_The Enemy touched me too._ The Kubrow said uneasily. _Either it did not affect me or it could not. Do you know which? _Amelia stepped close, her face worried.

"Human brains operate on certain wavelengths." Amelia said as she checked her readouts. "Kubrow bodies on others. They managed to mesh your brain to your body. I am not sure how." She looked up with the others as the door opened. The Kubrow went still as a white and gold armored form that she didn't know entered the room.

"They had bio science down to an evil art." The newcomer said. His voice was calm, but… it was sad. So sad. The Kubrow whined at the grief in it. "I am sorry it took me so long…" He came to the bedside and Amelia made room for him. "Ah… Kori…" Grief sang in his voice.

"Carlos?" Amelia asked. "I… She is alive…"

"But she is not _there_." The newcomer replied as he sat on the side of the bed. The Kubrow whined a bit and nudged his hand with a paw. "Yes?"

_She is._ The canid said quietly. _But she cannot find her way. Can you help her find her way out of the darkness? _The white armored form that wasn't the clan leader looked at the Kubrow for a moment and then laid a slow hand on Kori's forehead. He shook his head.

"I cannot sense her." Kori's brother said. "If I cannot find her, I cannot help her."

_I can find her._ The Kubrow said softly and everything went still in the room.

"Darling…" Nikis said slowly. "That may be what the Enemy want. To get access to you again."

_Perhaps._ The Kubrow replied. _But Kori is my friend._ Her tone was calm, but not. The white and gold warframe looked at her and then nodded slowly. _I do not wish this._ The Kubrow said slowly. _But without help, Kori will be lost to us. I wish that __less._

"Nikis?" Carlos asked, worried.

"This is a bad idea, darling." Nikis said as he moved a bit, setting himself so he could reach both Kori and the Kubrow. "But I can see you are determined. The word 'stubborn' may have been made just for your kind." He said with a snort.

_I am afraid._ The Kubrow admitted. _But Kori is crying. I need to help her. _She sidled a little closer to Kori and laid her head down beside the still Tenno's.

"We are with you." Carlos promised, laying a hand on her shoulder. Nikis did the same and…

* * *

The gray landscape undulated underneath her paws. It wasn't any kind of terrain she had ever encountered before. She stared around wildly, but there was nothing. As far as her senses could reach, there was only gray emptiness.

_Kori._ She said slowly. _Kori, can you hear me?_ There was no reply, but she felt a tug from something. It felt…familiar. She started off, running easily through the gray mists that rose from the gray surface. All of her senses were honed as sharp as she could, but she could hear nothing but silence, see nothing but gray.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the silence. A heart-wrenching scream of pure agony. Kori. The Kubrow went still and then turned and started off again. She had a direction now.

_Hold on, Kori. I am coming._ She promised as she ran through nothingness.

Just as suddenly as she had arrived, the Kubrow found herself staring at a macabre scene. Kori lay on the ground, covered by some kind of transparent cocoon. Her armor as in tatters around her, barely covering her enough for modesty purposes. Something was beside her. A familiar blob thing. It didn't see the Kubrow.

"Stop fighting, girl." The blob thing was saying. "It's not bad. We won't hurt you of you stop fighting. We can use you. We can help you, put you back together. You have been hurt, so many times." She touched the cocoon and Kori screamed again. "If you stop fighting, your pain will cease. We will welcome you into our family."

"Liar." Kori's voice was weak and hoarse. "You do not have a family. You have horror."

"Ah, girl…" The blob sounded sad now. "We can make it easy for you. Why do you insist on doing this the hard way?"

"I won't help you harm my kin!" Kori snapped. "You are trying to enslave me! I won't let you!"

"We have adjusted Tenno before, Kori." The blob replied. The Kubrow's flesh crawled as several long things extruded form it to touch the cocoon. Kori gave a cry and started to pant. The blob chuckled evilly. "So strong and so naïve. You will serve. Happily even."

"Never!" Kori declared, but her voice was odd. Was that _pleasure_ mixed with the pain and fear? "I… will… not… submit… to you…" She gave a small cry of fear as the blob touched her again.

"Oh yes you will…" The blob paused as the Kubrow growled. "What the?" Several of its eyestalks spun and it went still on seeing her. "Lilly?"

_I am not Lilly!_ The Kubrow declared as she charged. _And __you__ are __dead!_The blob screamed as the Kubrow tore into it, teeth and claws slashing. _Get away from my friend!_

"Ah, Lilly…" The blob vanished, only to reappear a few meters away. The Kubrow charged again, but suddenly, she was encased in something like what held Kori. "Good. You saved us the time and effort of tracking you down. I need to see where I went wrong. It won't hurt, girl." She reached for the Kubrow, only to pause as something changed. Suddenly, the cocoon thing that Kori was lying in was _glowing_. Glowing _golden_! "No!" The dark green blob screamed as the cocoon flew apart.

"Leave. Her. Alone." Kori declared as she rose from where she had been lying. Her armor… repaired itself under the stunned Kubrow's eyes. And it… changed. Where it had been dark green and black, now it was red and gold! "Be gone from my mind, you filthy abomination!"

"You cannot keep us out, Kori." The blob declared as Kori advanced on it. She touched the cocoon holding the Kubrow and suddenly the canid was free. She rose to her feet to stand beside Kori, growling at the blob who recoiled. "You are both ours! You belong with us. _To_ us."

"No, we are not!" Kori and the Kubrow declared as one. Kori focused herself and the Kubrow leaned against her, offering support as Kori threw something at the blob. A bolt of golden energy that crackled like fire. When it connected, the form seemed to shrivel. It screamed and vanished. The two mismatched females stared at where the form had been and then at each other.

_This isn't over._ The Kubrow said uneasily.

"No." Kori agreed. "They will try again." She paused. "You shouldn't be here. If that monster had touched you, she would have enslaved you. Why are you here?" She demanded.

_You helped me._ The Kubrow said calmly. _I helped you._

"I…" Kori was suddenly crying. Her armor vanished, leaving her wearing an odd red robe. She sank to the ground and the Kubrow came close, nuzzling her face as Kori wept. "I am… not worthy… of such…" Kori hugged the Kubrow tight.

_I don't care._ The Kubrow said gently. _You are my friend. Friends help one another._ Kori gave a small cry and hugged her tighter. _Its okay, Kori. But you need to wake up now._

"Before you do…" Nikis' soft voice sounded from nearby as he and Carlos appeared. Carlos made a beeline to where Kori knelt, sinking to his knees, taking her hands in his and pulling her close. "Kori… Oh... I am so, so sorry…" Both Kori and the Kubrow turned to stare at him. The ancient curmudgeon gunfighter…was _crying! "_This isn't how it was supposed to be..."

"Nikis…?" Kori asked, confused. "What?"

"Look at yourself, girl." Nikis said softly. Kori looked down at herself and froze. She reached down and fingered the odd looking red robe that she wore.

"What _is _this?" Kori asked. "This… isn't Tenno garb… is it?"

"It is." Nikis sounded… wrong. Angry, sad, tired…. All of these. And more. So much more. "_I_ was going to do it! Damnitalltohell! It was supposed to be _me_!" He snapped. Then everyone jumped as he screamed. _"Haven't I done enough? It was my time!"_

_**No.**_ The voice was… everywhere. _**You were not chosen.**_ It was… odd. It was neither male nor female. It had aspects of both. It had… the sense of… fire? Of flight? _**Be easy Tenno Nikis. What must be, must be.**_

"I won't let you do it." Nikis snapped. "Not to her. Not here. Not now. I won't!" He shouted. "She doesn't deserve this!"

"Nikis…" Carlos sounded afraid. "Don't…"

"I won't let it take her _too_!" Nikis was suddenly cold, his ire directed…somewhere. "I won't. She has a family! I don't! I was ready! I was set to take up the burden!"

_**Ready makes no difference, old friend.**_ The voice retorted easily. _**No one deserves it. But it must be. She was chosen. She will do as Tenno have always done.**_

"No!" Nikis screamed. His scream was dark and cold. Cold as space. Dark as death. The Kubrow felt terrible power gathering. The gray plain was suddenly golden. Lines of numbers flared brighter and brighter as Nikis raised his hands. "I will not allow this!"

"Nikis!" Carlos begged. "Don't! You will kill us all!"

_What is happening?_ The Kubrow demanded, pressing up against Kori in fear.

"I don't know." Kori said weakly. "Nikis… please…!"

"You will not take her as you took all the others!" Nikis shouted, his anger still that cold and scary thing. "I don't care what you say! You _lie_! There _has_ to be another way!"

_**There isn't.**_ The voice sounded so sad now. _**I am sorry… old friend. I cannot let you interfere.**_ With a pop, Nikis vanished!

"Nikis!" Carlos and Kori both cried out.

"He is not dead." A voice that was somewhat familiar to Kori sounded and a form appeared nearby. It was a dark haired human composed of transparent golden energy. He wore armor that was… sort of like a warframe, but not quite. Kori went still as she recognized him. "Hello Kori." The sadness in his tone was palpable.

"First One…" Kori stammered and then slowly moved to bow. But… he stopped her.

"No, Kori." Hayden Tenno said sadly. "Do not bow to me. If anything, _I_ should bow to _you_." Everything seemed to stop as tears started to fall down his transparent face. "I had hoped… Like Nikis…that this wouldn't be needed…"

"What do you mean?" Kori asked, baffled. The Kubrow leaned up against her, offering support that Kori took gratefully. The Kubrow was dazed by all of this, but she would stand with her friend. Now and always.

"The robe you wear, Kori…" Hayden Tenno said softly. "…is the raiment of the Phoenix." Kori stared at him, even more confused. The Kubrow likewise. But Carlos inhaled in shock.

"No…" Carlos stammered. "No, not Kori…"

"I am sorry." Hayden said quietly, tears still falling. "She chose you, Kori. I don't know why. She never says why she chooses who she does. Why it is always female Tenno."

"No…" Carlos begged. "Not now. It… please, First… I just found her… I cannot lose her now."

"I know." Hayden said softly. "I am sorry, Carlos. But… Once the Choosing is done, it cannot be undone."

"What is going on?" Kori demanded. "Why are you acting as if I am going to _die_?" Both Carlos and Hayden turned to look at her. The First One's face was bleak.

"Because you are."


	9. Chapter 9

**Ways**

This was getting tiresome.

Nemesis waited outside of Mender's lab and tried not to fume. That whole 'battle' had been a fiasco. Instead of a straight up fight, the Tenno had suckered her in nicely. She had to admit, the tactics had been masterful. When she and her team had attacked the lone Tenno who had stolen their control form, other Tenno had attacked the flanks and rear of the force, wreaking havoc with the warriors who had been focused on the threat ahead. She herself had been so focused on the insolent black armored Tenno that she had been blindsided and forced to retreat for several minutes. Then, their reinforcements had arrived and they had driven the Tenno back, meter by bloody meter. It had cost them sorely in slain warriors, but the Tenno force had been crumbling. They had been falling! The master swordsman had gone down, the dark insolent one had gone down, the others had been pressed back and further back. She had been able to taste victory. Then it had all turned to ashes.

The effrontery. The sheer gall that the Command and Control form had to spurn them. To deny the Master's dominion over it. Not just to flee, but to call enemies down on the Hive? To _attack_ them? To force them to flee like a bunch of puling _humans_?

The only one who was happy now was Strike. He had been too busy having fun to even _notice_ when the battle had been lost. He had followed the remainder of the group when they had fled the machines. Part of Nemesis had hoped the machines would follow back to the ship and Tech's area of influence. But they hadn't. The ship had gathered up the pitiful remnants of the assault force and fled for deep space, where it sat now. Waiting. Brooding.

"Mender!" Nemesis finally called. She had been waiting outside the healer's lab for almost twenty minutes. Waiting for a response. She tried mentally. _Mender? _

There was no response. Nemesis paused. She had been warned about entering the lab while Mender was working. The blob being used a lot of very nasty stuff in her experiments and Nemesis did not particularly want to have to regrow her armor. But even in the midst of her most delicate experiments, she had always responded. Finally, Nemesis shook her head. _Master? I cannot contact Mender._

_Mender is… unwell._ The Master replied quickly. _Are you injured?_

_No._ Nemesis said, unsure. _But we have other wounded. We need to restock on warriors as well. I was hoping she would have some gas or something to take prisoners with._

_A Grineer Galleon is heading towards your position. _The Master said after a moment. _All aboard have been subverted. Two thousand more warriors._

_What happened? _Nemesis asked, only a little plaintively._ We had them._

_The command and control form rebelled._ The Master said coldly. _Mender erred in allowing it as much free will as she did._

_What do we do now? _Nemesis asked. _Exterminate more humans?_

_I am rethinking our plans. _The Master replied. _The Tenno could not match our numbers. But their greatest weapon was not present._

_The sword?_ Nemesis asked and the gasped as something grabbed hold of her mind and squeezed. Hard. _I… Forgive me, Master…_

_The Tenno created a weapon to fight me. _The Master said after a moment. _A powerful weapon. But it also has a powerful cost and the Tenno have always been reluctant to use it._

_Fools. _Nemesis said with a snort. The invisible hand grabbed her mind an again and she could not stifle a gasp of pain. _What?_

_You know not of what you speak, Nemesis. _The Master's voice was calm, but iron might have bent under its intensity. _A change of plan is in order. Extermination missions will continue, but you and the Chosen will not be involved. Warriors will attack and sterilize human settlements. You… will search for this weapon. When you find it, you will bring it to me._

_But… _Nemesis waited for pain to come again, but it did not. _If it is so dangerous, should we not destroy it before it can be used against us?_

_If only we could. _Was it her imagination that the Master sounded afraid? It had to be. _Two more Chosen have been reborn. They will join you for the next operation._

_Ah?_ Nemesis felt her body move away from Mender's door. _Mender?_

_She will recover._ The master reassured Nemesis. _But for now, she must rest. Next room. _Nemesis strode into the room and paused as two female forms turned to look at her.

One had obviously been Grineer. Maybe a Ballista? Definitely not a Scorpion, she was far too large to have been one of them. One arm had been replaced with a long rifle like weapon and the other held a metal shield that looked much like a Grineer Shield Lancer's, if larger.

_Havoc._ The Master said and the former Grineer nodded. _Ranged combat specialist. She will neutralize the enemy snipers when they attack again. Her rifle can fire any number of different loads, making her especially versatile in any number of situations. She will also be better at dealing with close combat enemies than Artillery is._

"Ready to kill." Havoc's voice was odd. Melodious and pure, it sounded decidedly out of place coming from an armored form of death. Nemesis nodded to her and scrutinized the other.

The other one…was odd. Nemesis couldn't tell _what_ the female had been. Just that she had been one. She looked… almost ordinary. Almost human. Almost, except for the wicked claws that had replaced her hands.

_Mary._ The Master said quietly. Nemesis paused. What kind of a name…? _Show her._ The Master said, darkly amused.

A small hatch slid open on a wall and a form scuttled in. It rose and it was quickly apparent that it was a human. Male. Dirty and unkempt, obviously he was a prisoner. He took one look at the three and bolted. But there was nowhere to go. Nemesis and Havoc were between him and the door and Mary was stalking towards him.

"No…" The human begged as he retreated. "No! Don't…"

"Easy boy…" The almost human shape said in a quiet and calming tone as she reached out to touch his arm. "Just a touch… and everything is better…"

"No!" The man screamed and then fell, clutching his arm. Nemesis stared as it swelled up, ugly yellow pustules growing as she stared. He screamed and screamed, wailing in agony as the contagion spread up his arm. Then his screams choked off as his face was covered by them. He collapsed to the ground, writhing. Nemesis watched clinically as he writhed for a time, then lay still.

"Dead?" Nemesis asked coldly. "How long to incubate?"

"Oh, not dead. Hibernating and incubating. He will be contagious permanently. Even after he dies, which will take a week or so." Mary replied. Her tone was still that calm, cool and deceptively gentle tone. Her hands morphed and suddenly they looked human. "I am supposed to rendezvous with the spies. They found something on Mercury, but are not sure what it is. Getting into the area has proven difficult."

"What kind of something?" Nemesis asked, nodding to the still form on the floor. "That ability will prove very useful."

"It should." Mary said with a nod. Her kindly tone utterly at odds with her horrific abilities and personality. "We think it is a hospital."

"Oh." Nemesis said, her hands coming up to rub together. "The possibilities." But then she paused. "It will be heavily defended if so. And not just by the Tenno."

_The Grineer have attacked it on several occasions._ The Master replied. _Each time, they have failed miserably. They cannot even _**_find_**_ it. If it even exists and is not a myth. The Grineer High Command are saying it is a myth. They lose battalions every so often searching, but write them off._

"Then we need to be… subtle." Nemesis nodded to Mary. "Typhoid Mary, huh?" Mary smiled, and her jaw had far too many teeth. Sharp pointed teeth. "I like it."

She moved to converse with her two new subordinates, never even realizing that her prior curiosity about Mender had been expertly deflected. Behind her, a small form entered the door to Mender's lab and walked to where a vat filled with green goo sat. The young human wore an odd glistening garment that hugged his skin, but… showed bulges in odd places. His skull was covered by organic bandages. One of Mender's test subjects. His eyes were empty as he clambered over the side and slid into the goo. He screamed once and then was submerged in it.

_She will figure it out._ Mender's mental voice was soft and filled with pain.

_Rest._ The Master commanded as Mender made a noise of pain. _We need her to lead, not to be worried by things she cannot change. You need to heal. Absorb that human's mass. It will ease you._

_For a time._ Mender said softly as the human started to thrash in the vat. The thrashing… didn't last long. Then his form… disintegrated. _Not permanently. How did that Tenno _**_do_**_ that? I was incorporeal on that plane. How did she _**_damage_**_ me?_

_She is the Phoenix. The wielder. But as for _**_how_**_? _The Master's voice held fear now. _I don't know. _

**Elsewhere**

"No!" The Kubrow winced. It seemed everyone had to shout the hoarse denial after Kori spoke what she had seen and heard. Carlos hadn't said a word since they had returned to their own bodies, just held her hand. Nikis had stormed from the room, no one daring to get in his way. Cecelia was crying softly. Amelia and Brianna looked poleaxed. The Tenno, in warframes and not, all looked stunned.

"What will be, will be." Kori said softly, not moving from where she sat on the bed, the Kubrow's head in her lap. "It has to be. Karl…" She begged as the white armored Rhino snarled.

"Kori, you have suffered _enough_!" Karl snapped. "Yes, you _erred_, but you made restitution! You found your way. Kori…" Was he _begging_ her?

"I don't want this." Kori said, her voice calm. "But it must be." Carlos bowed his head and gave her hand a squeeze. "Sir Ric?" She asked the Vauban at the back of the room. Ric hadn't said a word.

"I feel… conflicted, Lady Kori." Ric said after a moment. "You are my sister and my friend. You erred as Karl said, but you seek a better way. You took your punishment with honor." He shook his head. "I do not remember this Phoenix. But my feelings are clear." He bowed from the neck and quickly left the room. Kori slumped a bit.

"Please." Kori begged the others. "Please do not think ill of me. I do not want this. But I have been told it must be."

"Kori…" Two sounded sick to her stomach. "You made a mistake. You have _fixed_ your mistake. Don't give up." She begged.

"I haven't." Kori said as the Kubrow in her lap whined a little. She patted the furred head gently. "But… Karl… We didn't _win_." Karl stood quiet and she continued. "How many hurt?"

"Everyone was hurt, Kori." Alicia said into the silence that fell. "We couldn't… We couldn't harm them most of the time. Elemental attacks, blades, bullets, lasers, explosions… Nothing worked all the time."

"They adapt." Kori said softly. "So quickly, they adapt to our attacks. We cannot prepare for everything. It is simply not possible. So…" She bowed her head. "I was chosen. I accept the burden." A growl silenced her.

_I do _**_not_**_._ The Kubrow snapped angrily in her odd mental speech. _I will not let you go without a fight. _Kori smiled a bit sadly as she petted the canid and it calmed slowly.

"There are some things you cannot fight, my friend." Kori said quietly. "But thank you." She said, her voice husky. 'Brianna?" She asked when the woman gave a sob. "Please… don't hate me…"

"I don't." Brianna said as she stepped close to Kori's bed and laid her hands on Kori's. The Kubrow moved, but not far. Just enough that Brianna could get close. "Are you… sure…?" She looked from Kori to Carlos who nodded slowly. "I…" She was crying now and Kori pulled her close. "Part of me wishes I had never met you." Brianna said as she returned the embrace. "But most of me is glad to have known you. I wish…" She bowed her head. "I hurt you, so long ago. I wish I could undo what I did."

"Brianna, you saved my life." Kori said evenly. "The others would have torn me apart of you hadn't realized I was sentient." Brianna bowed her head as Carlos inhaled sharply. Kori shook her head. "Ancient history, brother. Not her fault."

"My responsibility." Brianna said soberly. "If you need… _anything_…" She hugged Kori tight. "Anything at _all_…"

"Thank you." Kori said, hugging Brianna back. "You may never be Tenno, Brianna. But I consider you my sister. Sisters of pain and fear, but sisters nonetheless." Brianna hugged her again and then ran from the room, her eyes streaming. "I… I didn't want it to be like _this_…"

"It's not your fault, Kori." Karl said softly. "Not at all. Can you tell us what will happen?"

"I am not entirely sure." Kori said looking at her brother. "Carlos?" The Oberon nodded and spoke evenly. But everyone could tell he was upset.

"During the second occurrence of this…" Carlos said quietly. "We found ourselves at a massive disadvantage. As we have seen, the enemy is amoral and vicious. They use any and every means to fight. Humans have no chance against them. Machines… somewhat." He sighed. "But they learn fast and machines can be hacked."

"So… what?" Will asked after a moment when no one else spoke. "Obviously, it is a weapon of some kind."

"Yes and no." Carlos said sadly. Kori held out a hand and he took it. "The physical representation of Phoenix is a Nikana. A unique Nikana. It can only be wielded by a specific person. The first to do so was the First Valcyr. She was a swordswoman. Her name was Nisa."

"She died." Kori breathed.

"Yes." Carlos said with a sigh. "For the longest time, no one knew why. Or what had happened. Then…several hundred years later, the enemy came again. A sister was drawn by something she couldn't understand to find the sword and draw it. When she did…" He bowed his head.

"When she did…" A new voice sounded and all turned to see Michelle standing in the doorway. Petra stood just behind her, the guard obviously agitated. "She began to be consumed by the sword's power." Carlos nodded to her. "I came as soon as I heard."

"You shouldn't be here, Michelle." Kori said, rising from the bed. "Avalon needs you."

"I was coming anyway." Michelle said quietly. "To coordinate from here with the Royal Guard who are out. There have been attempted incursions through the portals. Mom has sealed them." More than one of the listeners hissed in disbelief. "The defenses held them out, destroyed the few that made it past the doors, but…"

"A defense… no matter how good…" Kori mused. "…will only delay the inevitable. We must take the offensive." She sighed. "And on that note… Will?"

"Yes, Kori?" Will asked form where he stood with Alicia.

"I haven't used a sword in a long time." She said quietly. "I used a Glaive or a Kestrel. I need to practice."

"We have a nikana in the armory, Kori." Will said, bowing slightly to her. "I will get it."

"No." Kori said fiercely enough that the Excalibur actually recoiled. "You are no servant! You are no _slave!_ I refuse to treat you as such, you are Tenno! I am Tenno. I can get my own damn sword!" She rose to her full height and glared at the Excalibur. "I am not dead _yet!_ I will fight. It is what Tenno _do_."

"Now _that_ is the Kori I barely remember." Will said with a hint of fondness. He stepped forward and held out a hand. She took it and gave a squeeze. "I _will_ set up a course for you. A familiarization one."

"I appreciate it." She bowed from the neck and he returned it. He spun on his heel and left the room. "Karl." Kori said quietly.

"You have a higher calling, Kori." Karl said softly. "If I or we may aid in any way, say so."

"I will need a ship." Kori stood in the center of the room and looked around at the other. "We have known each other only for a short time." Kori said, tears threatening in her voice but not falling. Yet. "But I know you all. I trust you all." She shook herself. "I am no mythical creature of fire and fury. I am Tenno, no more, no less. I follow the Code. For so long, I walked in darkness, surrounded by evil and used by it. I was rescued by Will. I wanted only to die. But now…" Her voice broke of a moment. "I want to live."

_Then live._ The Kubrow said sharply. _Fight what comes. You can. You are strong, Kori._

"And how may must die for my cowardice, my four legged friend?" Kori said quietly. The Kubrow slumped bit and did not respond. "No." She shook her head. "No, I know what must be done and I will do it. I go to Earth."

"Earth?" Two and Karl said as one. Carlos nodded.

"That is where the sword is entombed." The Oberon said softly. "With its last wielder."

"We will have a ship ready for you shortly." Two looked at Karl and both left the room. Amelia followed, leaving Cecelia still crying to follow. Kori ran to the girl hugged her tight and let go. Cecelia hugged her back and then ran from the room.

"You didn't tell them." Carlos said as he came close to where Kori stood, tears falling.

"They would try to stop me." Kori replied, dashing her tears away. "Us." She nodded to the Kubrow who glared at her but remained silent.

"You know where we have to go." Carlos said mildly. "Are you ready?"

"No." Kori replied evenly. "How _can_ you be ready to rob the tomb of the king of the sea?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Infiltrations**

It wasn't the spies' fault. It wasn't the master's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault really. No one could have predicted just exactly how devious the people who had built the defenses for Iriana's hospital _were_. Of course, when you think about it… The Grineer and Corpus would have given _anything_ to find and destroy the place. It was a beacon of hope, and _any_ hope diminished the influence of the Grineer and Corpus simply by existing. They would have nuked the entire area if they had been able to pinpoint it close enough for an orbit strike. So… maybe it wasn't so hard to understand why Karl and Jasmina among others had worked so hard to make the place impossible to sneak into. In fact, both spies had entered different caves and wound up falling in two _separate_ tiny dimensional prisons which incidentally cut them off from their hive mind and drove them incurably mad.

"What _are_ they?" The head paramedic of the team asked, her face worried as she stared at the scanner readouts. "They are not human no matter what they look like. These scans… They are not human." She repeated.

"No." Iriana said softly. "No, they are not. We are in trouble, Pat." She had received a message from Karl. One that had… been bad. Very bad. Warning her about what was happening. She hadn't been thinking about anything but her patients. Focus was a good thing, but… This was a Tenno matter.

"What are they, Iri?" Pat asked, scared.

"A horrible relic of the past." Iriana said, staring at the scans of one of the spies. The entrance tunnels had been seeded with dozens of sensor equipment, the better to know their foes. The human shells concealed skeletons laces with exotic compounds, both hands had been modified with energy projectors and the human boys' brains had been replaced with something that Iriana did not even want to contemplate. "How quickly can we evacuate?"

"_Evacuate_?" Pat stammered. "To _where?_ We have those three critical cases…"

"We will need to put them in cryo." Iriana said softly. "As soon as possible. As to where? Lisa?" She turned to where a young human stood, against the wall, her face sick. "You okay?"

"No." Lisa said with a gulp. "I can… From those… I can feel the tendrils of that thing's mind… They are… they are… Awful…" She gave a gasp and wilted a bit. "The massed mind is shielding me, but they cannot get too close. If they do… They too will be subverted… And if _that_ happens…" Her face was slightly green now and Iriana could relate.

"We can't let that happen." Iriana said sharply, moving to Lisa's side. "Get everyone ready to flee, Pat. Plan Epsilon Alpha. The Tower will take us in if Jasmina's people cannot."

"The Tenno?" Pat asked, still staring at the scans, mesmerized by the sheer evil that exuded from them. "I mean… moving our critical patients may kill them…"

"They tried to stop it." Iriana said softly. "They delayed it. No more." Pat gave a small cry and Iriana nodded. "They haven't given up, but… whatever they are planning now, they didn't tell. Just what the threat was and to be ready to flee. If the critical cases move, they _may _die. If they stay here, they _will_ die."

"Casualties?" Pat asked and then tore her gaze from the monitors and pulled out a binder marked 'Emergency'. "Epsilon Alpha, got it…"

"Lisa." Iriana said quietly. "Go with them."

"Iriana, I cannot leave you." Lisa replied with a glare. "I won't." She had been studying medicine, but mainly staying close to Iriana. Odd to have a pregnant guard, but Lisa was hardly ordinary at the best of times.

"You are not the only one at risk, Lisa." Iriana said, glancing at Lisa's abdomen. The girl paled and put a hand over it protectively. Then she nodded, manifestly against her will. "I will be right behind you. You know what they will do if they take you, Lisa." She said too quietly for Pat to hear as the paramedic started setting plans in motion. Lisa sighed and nodded. "Please, go."

"I will." Lisa stepped forward and hugged the healer. "But you _better_ be right behind me or we _will_ send in the troops."

"That may be what they want." Iriana said with a sigh as she started for the door. Lots to do and not a lot of time. Luckily, they had possessed enough time to plan for hurried evacuations, even if everyone had hoped it wouldn't be necessary. "I will get Matt, Kim and Julie ready to go into cryo, Pat. You focus on the others."

"Right." Pat said absently as she worked.

To an outside observer, the hubbub that engulfed the small facility would have looked like complete chaos. But Iriana could see the patterns. People were moving as they had trained. Not happily, but then again, _she_ wasn't happy. She reminded herself that things could be replaced. Lives were far harder to replace. The portal flashed and she nodded as she stepped into one patent's room. Jal was getting everything ready. Luckily, Julie wasn't the worst of the cases. She had an autoimmune problem that had been tricky to find and was delicate to fix. But the others were worse off. One had multiple skull fractures, the other a serious heart condition.

"Miss Iri?" The girl in the bed asked, her voice weak. "What is happening? Someone said we were under attack." Iriana glared at Jal who shrugged. Likely it hadn't been him. He was smarter than that.

"We _are_ under attack, Julie." Iriana said quietly. "We want to make sure you are safe. We need to get you and the others somewhere away from here. Somewhere very secure. It will be odd, and a bit frightening. But I will be there. Okay?" She asked, laying her hand on the girl's limp one.

"Okay." Julie said, trying to be brave. "What do I do?"

"You go to sleep." Iriana said kindly. "When you wake, you will be at _my _home." Julie's eyes went wide.

"The tower?" The girl said, stunned. "Really? I… I didn't think they let people in…"

"This is a special case." Iriana said sadly. "Ordinarily, they wouldn't. But this…" She shook her head. "They will. They have a room ready for you. Are you ready to sleep?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Julie lay back on the bed and smiled as Iriana stroked her head. Iriana pulled hypo from a pocket, checked it automatically and deftly injected the girl. Julie sighed once and fell into a deep sleep. Iriana and Jal stepped back as the bed folded up and encompassed the girl's still form. In moments, she was encased in a familiar clear container. A cryo pod. It rose from the floor and hovered.

"That…" Jal shook his head. "How is she?" Iriana perused the readouts on the side of the capsule.

"Stable and in perfect hibernation." Iriana said after a moment. "She will need a lot of help when she wakes. The others?"

"The others went in the first transit." Jal said with a nod. "We need to go."

"Get her clear, Jal. I will get Pat and meet you in the portal chamber." Iriana said sadly. "I had hoped this place would last… but… if they found it so fast… it's a death trap now."

"Who is attacking us?" Jal demanded as Iriana stepped out.

"You do not want to know." Iriana said quietly as she started back for the control room, only to run into Pat who looked terrified. "Pat?"

"_Something _is coming in through the east entrance!" Pat said with a gulp. "It looks on visual like human female, but the toxicology scanners are all in the ultra red." Iriana blanched. Not good. Not good at all. Ultra red was the worst bio hazard level known. Technocyte infection was one such.

"Bulkheads?" Iriana demanded.

"Sealed, but I don't know if they will hold or for how long." Pat swallowed hard as the two women ran for the portal chamber. As they arrived the portal flashed, leaving only a few people and piles of gear left. "Get on the portal! Now!" Pat commanded. Sensing her urgency, the others bent to gather the gear and step up quickly. Jal had Julie's gurney on the platform now and Iriana took one last, sad look around before stepping up herself.

"Why do you run?" The voice was… odd. Iriana tensed as she looked to where a hole had been _eaten _in a hatch nearby and a human form stepped through. Her face was kind and her voice likewise. But the claws that dripped green slime were anything but. "We just want to be friends."

"Hit it!" Iriana screamed as she keyed a command she had prayed she never would have to. Self-destruct. Jal keyed the portal and it flashed golden. The female form stopped just short the platform and made a face. Iriana winced at the long, pointed teeth it flashed.

"We _will_ find you." The almost human looking form said with a wide fanged smile. "Until then… a gift…" She threw something at Iriana, but a dark form interposed itself and Jal grunted as he batted whatever it was away with a backpack that he then tossed away. Then he screamed and fell, clutching his hand.

"No!" Pat screamed as Jal fell over. But he was still on the platform. Suddenly, they were elsewhere and Iriana pulled Pat away from her husband before she could touch him.

"Emergency quarantine!" Iriana snapped as the tower systems welcomed her. "Enemy toxins!" Each and every form on the platform was suddenly encased in quarantine force fields. But… only one glowed red. Jal. "Oh no…"

-He is not dead- The Tower reported. -But the toxin is virulent. And there is no known antidote.-

"Jal…" Pat knelt in her tiny quarantine prison and cried.

"We will find one." Iriana promised. "For now, full decontamination." She slumped a bit. "Maybe the self-destruct destroyed that monstrosity. But we cannot bet on it. Pat, I need you." She begged.

"I…" Pat shook herself and then nodded, straightening. "Right. We need to get everyone situated. Then…" She bowed her head as the still form of her husband was whisked away and drones started scouring where he had been with beams of plasma.

-Toxicology has been started. - The tower systems reported. –Lisa has started a series of scans.-

"Tell her to be _very _careful." Iriana said, probably unnecessarily. "This is only going to get worse."

-We know.-

**Earth**

"Is it just me… or is this kind of cliché?"

Carlos did not reply to Kori's dry words. Instead, he kept scrutinizing the walls ahead of them. But the Kubrow who did not leave Kori's side for anything spoke.

_What do you mean?_ The canid asked.

"All this…" Kori waved her hands around at the surrounding area. "Seems… a bit overdone." Carlos snorted at that, but went back to searching for traps. The Kubrow had a puzzled look on her face but remained silent.

Their ship had deposited them on a small island in the middle of what had once been called the Pacific Ocean. The tiny strip of land was remote. Far, far away from anything that might draw attention to the sole building on it. A small square structure that had been marked 'No Trespassing'. But of course, Kori and Carlos had ignored that. The door had been locked of course, but had opened when Kori had touched it. She had nearly shrieked when it had clicked open under her hand before she could even try to hack the lock. The door had opened to an Orokin style elevator. The three had entered and taken the elevator down. The door below had opened to Kori's touch too. It was getting surreal.

That was hardly the weirdest thing that was happening to her. She had put on her warframe and the colors had changed! She had kept her warfame color scheme dark, to blend in better with shadows. But the moment she had sealed up the suit, the Kubrow had gone still. Carlos had shown her an image of her warframe now. Instead of dark brown, dark red and grey tones, her suit was all bright reds, oranges and other assorted flame colors. The really odd part was that her warframe systems insisted the colors hadn't changed and when she shifted the colors, trying everything she could think of, even pure white and pure black, the image on the outside remained stubbornly the same. Carlos had just shrugged when she had asked why. Had to be something to do with being the wielder of the Phoenix, but no one had a clue what.

The corridor ahead of them was bare. Puddles shone every so often, so they were likely underwater already. Nothing to get in the way of the various weapons that lined the walls. They had found dozens of traps. Everything from spring loaded blades to gas nozzles, to plasma emitters, the hallway was one big death trap. But… Everything was offline. The pipes that were visible at the floor were either more traps or drains, or… something.

"I have a really bad feeling about this…" Kori said as they stepped forward. "A really, really bad feeling."

_I __would__ tell you to leave._ The Kubrow commented. _But you would not listen._

"No." Kori shook her head. "I wouldn't. We do not have a choice."

_There are always choices, Kori._ The Kubrow insisted, but trailed off, making grumbling noises. Kori shrugged.

She checked her weapons once more. The Tigris shotgun laid easy in her hands. Not all that great against Grineer armor, but anything else she faced would feel its bite. The Enemy's soldiers had good armor, but it was flesh based instead of metal and the pellets were modified with both cold and heat. Some would react… badly with each other on impact, producing small explosions that would –hopefully- tear through any Enemy they might run into. Toxins and electricity did not work on the Enemy very often. Her choice of pistol had baffled the other Tenno. A Spectra had very limited range and far less power than many other weapons. But she had chosen it for its utility instead of sheer power. If they needed to get past a locked door, the Spectra would do the job nicely. It was a very good weapon for all that, despite its short range. It was the _other_ weapon that she carried that really, really bothered Kori.

She had never been a swordswoman. She had always preferred a Glaive or Kestrel. The utility of a weapon that could be thrown as well as wielded in melee was by and large a no brainer for her. So when Will had held out the Dragon Nikana to her, she had been more than stunned. The Dragon Nikana was a relic, a piece of history. According to legend, the First Nyx had wielded something called a 'Katana'. This type of sword had evolved with the Tenno into the Nikana blade. It was both functional and beautiful. Kori felt…wrong admiring something whose only purpose was to end lives, but she could not help herself. It felt… right on her hip.

"We are committed." Kori said after a moment. "Forward." She started off, Carlos and the Kubrow beside her. The hall stretched on. As they walked, they passed several sets of hatches that stood open. The hatches would have blocked the corridor, but now, they all stood open.

_This is too easy._ The Kubrow said uneasily. Then she spun. _The doors! _Behind them the doors had shut silently. The door they had just passed closed a swell before any of them could move. _We are trapped! _ She tensed, staring around wildly, but nothing happened.

Kori pulled out the spectra, but when she pulled the trigger, the beam touched the door and did nothing. "What the…?"

"Shielded." Carlos said, examining the door. He turned to look the way they were going and shook his head. "Doors are open the rest of the length of the hall. I think we have been invited in."

_By who?_ The Kubrow demanded.

"Me." A calm voice sounded from nearby and all three spun to see… nothing. Then one of the puddles on the floor rippled and then coalesced into a humanoid form. Kori inhaled sharply as she recognized the warframe. Hydroid. Water based warframe. But…

"Who are you?" Kori demanded, Spectra up and ready. Carlos had his Lato Prime aimed as well. The Kubrow had no weapons, but she _was_ one.

"My name is Chris." The Hydroid replied evenly. "I have been expecting you."

"_Chris?_" Carlos said sharply. "Husband of Martya?"

"The same." The Hydroid replied.

"Who?" Kori asked.

"The last Phoenix, my dear." Chris replied sadly. "I know why you are here. I cannot allow it."

"The Enemy has returned, Chris." Kori said quietly. "Humanity is in danger. We need the sword."

"Did they tell you that when you take it up, you will _die_?" Chris demanded. Kori nodded and he sighed. "I see. So… typical. So noble. So _stupid_. No." He said flatly. "Leave now. I do not wish to kill Tenno, but I will if I must."

"Chris, please." Kori begged. "What is the Tenno's mission?"

"He is _not _Tenno." Carlos said sharply. "Not anymore."

"No." Chris agreed. Why was he so calm? Something was very wrong. "Not since you scum killed my wife."

"She chose to take up the sword, Chris!" Carlos retorted calmly. "She was chosen, but there were others. She chose the burden."

"You Tenno took her from me!" Now, Kori could hear something horrifying in the Hydroid's voice. Madness. The man was insane! A fully equipped and powered warfame... insane.

"Chris… Please…" Kori quailed a bit. "_My_ family is in danger! What would _she_ want?"

"What would _she_ want?" The mad Tenno asked slowly. "Why don't you _ask_ her?"

That was the only warning they had as a wave of water slammed into the three of them. Kori grabbed for the Kubrow and Carlos, but a strong current pulled her away and down, down. It wasn't _just_ water. It was cold, dark and… She was freezing!

_No!_ Kori screamed in her mind as she felt her extremities start to go numb. _Chris! No!_

_I won't kill you. _Chris' words came easily to her mind. _I promised Nikis I wouldn't kill you._

_Nikis… _That soft, horrified word was the last thing Kori felt for some time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Interrogation**

Kori woke up suddenly, retching. Armored hands held her gently as she spewed nastiness, trying to control the flow, but her stomach had other ideas. She struggled, but the hands that held her were firm. More… More than one set.

"Easy, girl." The voice wasn't anyone she knew. Female. Kind. Sad. "Chris isn't the most gentle of people at the best of times. These…are not the best of times." Kori opened her eyes, but everything stayed black.

"Where am I?" Kori gasped as the hands straightened her out despite her feeble struggles and cold things were strapped around her. Some kind of restraints.

"In deep trouble." The woman replied, her voice resigned. "I knew this day would come. But I had hoped he would be asleep for it. To wake with it done…" She growled. "That blasted Nekros…"

"What did Nikis do?" Kori begged. "Why can't I see?"

"You cannot see because your head is encased in a bio engineered sea creature that prevents sight and allows for easy sedation." The woman said with a sigh. "A good use of a fairly nasty animal, all told."

"I am a prisoner?" Kori clenched her fists, aware that she felt flesh under her fingers. She was out of her warframe.

"Yes." The woman replied. "He could have killed you with that Undertow. He chose not to. I… don't know why."

"Nikis asked him not to." Kori said weakly. "He betrayed us…"

"Did he?" The female asked quietly. "Nikis is a law unto himself. He always has been. He likely always _will_ be. Why would he betray you and tell Chris not to kill? That makes no sense." Kori felt something odd. A gentle pressure on her mind. Someone was trying to read her mind! Instead of answering, she closed her mind up tight. The other woman sighed. "Girl, this can be easy or hard. I need to know what happened and why. Chris… isn't the easiest person to manage." Kori did not respond and the woman sighed again, deeper. "This is going to hurt, girl. What is your name?" She asked softly.

Kori did not respond. Instead, she started counting in her mind, skipping numbers. One two, five, thirty-seven, three hundred and six… She kept up the counting even as the pressure inside her mind increased.

"Don't be stupid, girl." The other snapped. "You cannot resist the power. It _will_ kill you! Just relax and let me know what I need to."

Again, Kori did not respond. Instead, she kept counting. Three thousand six hundred and nine, fifty, nine million, seven hundred and four… She kept counting as the pain ramped up again and again. She kept counting through the agony that was now seeping through every corner of her brain.

"Damn it, girl!" The woman was irate now. "I don't want to hurt you! You are leaving me no choice!" Something stung Kori on the neck and she could only scream as everything went away.

"She is strong." The voice of the mad Tenno named Chris was openly admiring. Kori couldn't move. She couldn't talk. She couldn't do anything. She felt her body being moved. Her arms being folded. She lay on cold metal. "She will sleep."

"That will kill her, Chris." The woman from before sounded upset now. "You know it. I know it. Outside of her warframe, she will die if you put her in cryo like that."

"And _in_ her warframe, she will take control of me and let you die!" Chris snapped.

"Chris, I am dead!" The woman snapped right back. "I know you do not want to accept it. But I _am!_"

"You are confused, Martya." The man's voice turned sly. "So confused."

"No…" the woman said sharply. "Don't… I…" Kori went still. What was happening here? She couldn't see. All she could do was feel, but… She could _feel! _Two presences were nearby. One was soft and warm, but held tinges of wet cold and fury. The other… was cold, but felt warm and comforting. And in _pain!_ "Chris, please!" The woman screamed but Chris just made a noise of regret and she screamed loud and long.

_Martya…_ Kori said softly in her mind. _Don't give up…_

_He… He has control… _The woman was crying. _I can't… I can't stop him. He has the sword… he has it encased in a block of ice… Every time it melts, more forms… I can't get it free…_

_I don't want to kill you…_ Kori said softly. _What can I do?_

_I am already dead._ Martya replied. _I died when the sword reached full power. All of the wielders did. It's what happens. But… We need to keep the sword powered, so… A source of power was available. Our shades. The remnants of who and what we were._

_Oh no…_ Kori breathed. _No… They didn't…_

_Desperate times, Kori. _The other said softly, weakly. _I hurt you. I am sorry._ _I… I can't resist his commands while the sword is blocked like that. He won't let me go._

_He has enslaved you… _Kori breathed, horrified.

_I convinced him to go into cryo. It took… a long time._ Martya said weakly. _I hoped the next wielder would find the sword before he woke. But Nikis came and woke him…_

_Nikis. _Kori snapped. _That back biting scum!_

_I don't know why he did what he did. _Martya said sadly. _He didn't speak when I begged him not to wake Chris. Just hit the waking sequence and then held a gun on Chris until my husband agreed not to kill you. But if he puts in you in cryo without a warframe, it _**_will_**_ kill you!_

_The others? _Kori begged. _The Kubrow and my brother?_

_Alive and removed from the tomb. I managed that much if nothing more. _Martya said sadly. _The door is locked. They won't be able to get back in. He only wanted you._

_This is insane, Martya. _Kori protested. _The sword kills the wielder, I get that. It needs power so it drains the life force of the wielder to keep it going. But why would he keep it? Stop us from using it? We need it! The enemy has returned!_

_Because every time the sword kills a new wielder and absorbs her patterns, the previous patterns are deleted. _Kori went still at that and Martya made an affirmative noise. _I will be gone for good. He can't accept that._

_No._ Kori snapped. _I won't kill you! I _**_won't! _**Martya's pain peaked, but Kori held as much of it away from the other as she could.

_Kori, I am already dead._ Martya's screams had tapered off and she made noise of gratitude. _Thank you… That... he… I…_

_Its okay, Sister Martya. _Kori said softly. _I don't want to hurt him… But I have no choice, do I?_

_Kori… _Martya sounded wary now. _Whatever you are planning, don't… He is too powerful and ready for any tricks._

_Is he? _Kori asked, her tone a bit wry. "Chris?" She was amazed when her vocal cords worked. A stillness swept the room and she continued. "I don't want to kill Martya. I don't want to hurt you either. Can't we try to figure out another way?"

"There is no other way." A hand traced Kori's brow and she shivered. It was cold, so cold. "I have looked."

"And you are _perfect_. And you have access to _all_ of the records of the Tenno." Kori said, sarcasm dripping. "I see. Then, go ahead. Kill me."

"I am not _going_ to kill you, idiot girl." Chris said, his tone the resigned father figure. "Nikis would kill _me_. I don't want to die. I want my wife back."

"I am _dead_, Chris!" Martya snapped. "Killing her won't bring me back!"

"_You are not dead!_" Chris screamed. "I am _talking_ to you!"

"Chris… Please…" Martya begged. "I am a _copy_. A data recording… Nothing more. Don't kill this poor woman just because you cannot let me go. Please."

"You are confused, Martya." Chris said, his tone reasonable despite the insanity that lurked in it. "Rest for now, my dear. We will talk… later."

"Chris! No!" Martya screamed, but her scream was cut off suddenly.

"What have you done?" Kori demanded. "Martya! Martya!" She begged. "Talk to me!"

"She cannot hear you." Chris sounded sure of himself. "She is… resting."

"You hurt her." Rage sang in Kori's tone. "I don't want to hurt her!" She snapped. "I don't want to kill her! I don't want to hurt anyone but the enemy. And you…" She struggled, but whatever held her was far beyond her ability to break. "You hurt my sister!" She declared.

"You are going to sleep here." Chris declared. "Sleep until I can find a way to undo the curse of the sword. To free Martya. Then you can go and take that blasted thing with you."

"And if you _can't_?" Kori demanded. "What then? Will you consign all of humanity to death and horror because you can?"

"Don't even try, girl!" Chris retorted. "Tenno lie. It is what they do! It is all you do. All of you!"

"_I am not lying!_" Kori screamed with all of her might. "I am…" A wave of cold hit her and she gasped. "No… No, don't…"

"Easy…" Chris crooned, an eerie mockery of gentle. "Relax, let the cryo take you."

"You… idiot…" Kori managed to gasp and then she was falling.

She was screaming as she landed on something… something soft?

"Easy, Kori." Gentle hands held Kori as she wept. Held her against a warm body that moved under her. "Its okay, Kori…" The voice was familiar. Martya? "It's okay…" She crooned.

"He killed me…" Kori said weakly. "I wanted to stop the enemy and he killed me…"

"Why do you want to stop them, Kori?" Martya asked softly. "Why throw your life away?"

"I…" For the first time in a long, long time, Kori broke down. "I don't want to die! I want to live! I messed up, so many times! I wanted to make it right! I wanted to do the right thing. I never wanted this!" She was babbling as the arms held her gently. A hand was rubbing her head gently, soothing, calming. But Kori was way too far gone. "It is needed. I was chosen… but… I didn't want to do it… I just found my flesh and blood brother! I didn't want to die…"

"Oh Kori…" Martya's voice was soothing now. "It's all right, girl. It's done. Rest. It's okay."

"No, it's not!" Kori stammered. "Everything is going to die because I am too bloody weak! I was too weak. Too slow and too weak."

"No." Martya said quietly. "You were outmatched. Shhh, easy Kori…"

"I didn't want to fail!" Kori begged the woman.

"You didn't." Martya's voice was whisper soft now. "You showed just how strong you are. How brave and strong. You were willing to die. But you don't want to. You are willing to fight to live, even if it is pointless."

"But…" Kori paused. "He killed me… Chris killed me."

"Did you _really_ think it would be so easy, Kori?" Martya chided her gently. "Just waltz in, pick up the sword and _leave_?"

"Ah… no… But…" Kori winced. "So cold… So dark… I…"

"Lights." Martya said quietly and the room lit. Kori jerked away from the blue Trinity warframe that had been holding her. The warframe rose and stepped away. It looked… odd. She was clad in her red robe. She jerked, staring around wildly. The room was small and bare. She was lying on a pad on the floor. The only other thing in it… was a table on which lay a Nikana. Even not seeing the blade, Kori knew it was the Phoenix. "Hello Kori." The woman's voice came from the Trinity.

"What the hell?" Kori demanded. "This is… I…" She shook her head savagely. "What is going on?"

"A test." Martya said softly. "The Phoenix is an _awful_ burden, Kori." The female Tenno said with a sigh. "A horrible, _horrible_ burden. One that not even most _Tenno_ could shoulder. You _can_."

"I…" Kori shook her head. "I am not worthy of such power. I am a screw up." To her horror, she started to cry again.

"So was I." Martya said gently. The Trinity came close and sat beside Kori, her arms slowly encircling the sobbing Tenno. "It's okay, Kori. It's okay…"

"Did Chris… really…" Kori froze solid as a door opened nearby and the Hydroid stood there, his posture worried.

"I am sorry, Kori." Chris said softly. "We had to push you past your limits. To see how strong you were."

"You… You are not crazy…" Kori said weakly.

"Well…" Chris snorted a bit. "I don't know about _that_. But I am not murderous. Your brother and your friend are sleeping." Kori slumped a bit. "We had to be sure, Kori. Especially after Nikis showing up as he did."

"What did Nikis do?" Kori begged.

"Nikis wants to die." Chris said with a sigh. "But… the sword won't work for him. It would kill him, but it wouldn't _activate_. It wouldn't do what is needed." Kori went still and Chris nodded. "It only activates for a certain kind of Tenno. Female."

"So… what happened?" Kori begged, leaning into Martya's embrace.

"He was being a pest." Chris said with a wince. "I sent him away."

"He catapulted that crazy gunfighter across the _ocean_." Martya said with a laugh. Kori went still and Martya shook her head. "Kori... He is fine, if annoyed. This was an amusement park."

"A what?" Kori asked, stunned.

"You thought it was a real tomb." Chris said with a laugh. Kori bristled and he shook his head. "I am glad the disinformation worked."

"I don't understand." Kori begged.

"I know." Chris said sadly. "But first… Introductions… I am Chris, last Guardian of the Tomb of the Sea King." He had a smile in his voice, but it faded. "This is Martya… or…" He slumped a bit.

"What is left of me." Martya replied. "Before we took up the sword Kori… Each wielder downloaded a copy of herself into a Specter. Tenno are brave. We are not stupid _or_ suicidal."

"Will that work for me?" Kori asked, staring at the Trinity, noting the blue tinges that denoted a replicant warframe.

"It should." Chris replied. "For now… we need to talk. All of us."

"My brother… the Kubrow…" Kori wasn't –quite- begging.

"Next room." Chris said gently and stepped back. The Trinity Specter rose and helped Kori to her feet. Kori was staggering as Martya helped her from the room and into the next where the Kubrow and the Oberon warframe lay still.

"Carlos…" Kori pleaded as she knelt beside his still form.

"Kori?" Her brother asked, then jerked upright. "Kori! No! I…" He spun to where the Hydroid and Trinity stood, and his hands flashed towards where his weapons… had been… The Kubrow was on her feet in an instant, growling at both as well.

"It's okay." Kori said softly. "He is not insane."

"Legend says he is." Carlos said with a snarl that matched the Kubrow's.

"Legend says a _lot_ of things, Tenno." Chris said mildly. "Not all of it true. I did break with the Code, so technically, I am a renegade." The Trinity punched his arm and he winced. "Ow… Stop that Martya!"

"You are no more a renegade than _I_ am." Martya's voice was sour. "We are the Guardians of the Phoenix, Tenno Carlos. It is an old, old burden and only those who have wielded it or… choose to aid those who wielded it…" Her voice turned soft and she laid an arm around the Hydroid's shoulder. "…know that we _are_ true to the Code."

"How could you keep this a secret?" Carlos asked, stunned. "This is… You would merge with Orokin… be known to all."

"_If_ we merged." Martya said softly. "We don't. We merge…" Kori inhaled sharply and Martya nodded to her.

"You merge with the sword…" Kori said, awe flaring. "No wonder it is so powerful."

"It was _always_ powerful." A new voice sounded and a Valcyr Specter entered the room. "We have a meal prepared for you three. You will need your strength, Kori."

"Nisa…?" Carlos sounded nearly in awe.

"Don't start." The Valcyr snapped. "I am no better or worse than any of my sisters here."

"How many…?" Kori asked, stunned.

"Thirty nine, counting you." Nisa said gently. "Come on, we have a _lot_ to talk about."

_You trust these, Kori?_ The Kubrow demanded.

"Do we have a _choice_?" Kori asked after a moment.

"Yes." Nisa, Martya and Chris said in unison. Chris looked at the others and shook his head. Nisa… snickered. "Wimp." She said with a laugh and he nodded.

"I know my limits. I never win arguments with you all." Chris said with a snort of his own. But then he focused on Kori. "Kori… No one would dare to _force_ you to take the sword. It is not a burden to shoulder unwillingly. I was... hard to convince when Martya took it." Ancient shame sang in his voice and the Trinity laid a hand on his shoulder. "But… if there is one thing Tenno know… it is duty."

"You would just… let me go?" Kori asked. Instead of answering, all three stepped aside. A door opened behind them and the hallway Kori, Carlos and the Kubrow had entered through shone behind it. "I... see."

"Yes." Martya replied. "But you know what will happen."

"I do." Kori said softly. "The enemy will win. I… I cannot allow that." She shook her head. "What do I do?"

"For now?" Martya said gently. "You need to eat, drink and rest. We put you through _hell_, Kori. You have many questions. We have _some_ of the answers, but not all. We can help you. If you wish it. If you truly wish to take up the burden that has chosen you."

"I thought I didn't have a choice…" Kori said weakly.

"Do you have _any_ idea what _Mag_ would do to us if we did it that way?" Chris demanded, his tone scared. "Or _Nyx_?"

"Ah… Good point." Kori said with a laugh. She shook her head. "I choose… I am… The Phoenix." She said formally.

"Well met, Phoenix." All three of the ancient Tenno, the Specters and the living one, bowed to her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Phoenix**

"I still don't understand." Kori said. She was still reeling even after a fine meal and a long nap. No one blamed her. Carlos did not leave her side and no one sane would have tried to remove the Kubrow. "You said this place was… what?"

"An amusement park." Martya had taken it on herself to be Kori's caretaker. Something about 'tradition'. The last wielder taking care of the next. The Specter was… different, but not totally. At Kori's blank look, Martya sighed. "An amusement park is –_was_-…" She corrected herself. "…a group of entertainment attractions in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people. This was 'The Tomb of the Sea King', an aquatic park. We had rides, shows and a number of other things…" She sounded wistful. "People would come from all over the system to ride 'The Kraken', to talk to the dolphins and Orcas or to visit the aquarium. To learn about the sea while having fun."

"You worked here?" Carlos asked.

"I helped run the place." Martya said with a sigh of regret. "Me and Chris. We were both focused on marine biology. We had both been fascinated by the ocean. We gravitated to one another. Similar interests. His warframe allowed him to operate underwater. Me? I needed a submersible. But I got by." She slumped a bit. "There was so much to learn. To see."

"So the…thing you had on my face when I woke the first time…" Kori said softly. The Trinity Specter pulled something that glistened from…somewhere and held it out for Kori to examine. It was small and pale and moved in the warframe's hand as if alive. "What is that?"

"Orokin messed up a _lot_ of stuff. Given time, _anyone_ can and _will_ make every mistake possible." Martya said with a sour grunt. "But not all of their bio engineers were shortsighted and stupid. Bio engineering could and _did_ help in a number of ways. This was originally a Blue Ringed Octopus, a _very_ dangerous piece of sea life. Now? It is intended as a tool for surgery. Immobilization and gentle sedation."

"What hurt me?" Kori asked. Carlos went still, the Kubrow likewise.

"We needed to know, Kori." Martya was not apologetic at all. "It didn't happen often, but a few times, people came seeking the Phoenix. Either thrill seekers or thieves. Long ago, it was stolen by a Tenno from the vault in which it had been stored. He wanted to study it and it killed him." Kori went still and Martya nodded. "Either way… We had to _know_. We accessed your mind despite your resistance. Your resistance hurt you. We didn't want to. But we had no choice."

"And you had to test me." Kori wasn't angry. Just tired.

"Every wielder has to be tested since the First." Martya said with a sigh. "There were usually three or four female Tenno who received the call. One would be chosen from the group. But you are the only one we have seen this time." She slumped a bit. "Not _that_ surprising given the state of the Solar System. Our contact with the outside has been limited to what we can capture on passive scans. We cannot leave."

"You have remained here… Since the Collapse…" Carlos sounded upset now.

"Our duty, Tenno Carlos." Martya had just a hint of rebuke in her voice now. "Nothing in our duty had a time limit. Nothing in our duty had any limits at _all_. We serve the Phoenix and its wielder. Period." Carlos nodded in acknowledgement and she patted Kori's hand gently. "Now? We are getting ready for a new sister to join us."

"Will it hurt?" Kori asked, her face falling.

"No." Martya said softly. "The imprint is painless. But… Kori… The sword doesn't _hurt_." Kori went still and Martya nodded. "That is the _problem_. You never _realize_ how much it is taking. That is what happened to Nisa. She didn't _know_ what was happening. She managed to download into a Specter just as her body failed. She succeeded in destroying that incarnation of the enemy. Then she collapsed." The Specter bowed her head.

_How long?_ The Kubrow asked, scared. She nuzzled Kori and Kori smiled a bit sadly. _How long will Kori last?_

"I don't know. It is different for each of us. With the proper preparation…" Martya said with a sigh. "Nisa only lasted a day, but she dedicated herself to finding out what happened. I lasted for three days. The longest of us was a tough as nails Saryn named Mulin and _she_ lasted five days, an old style work week."

"A _week_…" Carlos swallowed hard. "Kori…" Kori shook her head.

"I knew this was a death sentence, Carlos." Kori said quietly. "I accepted the burden. Do not try and stop me." This was both to the Oberon and the Kubrow who whined a bit, but remained silent.

"Warrior Tenno do not die in bed." The Oberon said softly. "But it hurts, Kori." Kori nodded, her face grave.

"I know." She reached out and patted his hand. "I am not going to say anything pithy like 'I know' or 'It will be all right'. It won't and I don't." She shook herself. "What do I do?" She asked Martya.

"You have time, Kori, if not an unlimited amount." Martya replied softly.

"Every moment I delay, more humans die." Kori said softly. "And possibly more of our kin." Martya bowed her head. "I am ready, Martya."

"Then come." Martya said as she started for the door. Kori followed, Carlos and the Kubrow on her heels. "You two will not be able to be in the room when she draws the sword. The power release is… intense."

_I am not leaving her!_ The Kubrow snapped.

"Then you will _die_." Martya's tone could have shattered rock. Kori paused in mid step and Martya nodded. "The second of the wielders… had a friend with her when she drew the sword. He died." Kori swallowed hard and Martya nodded. "He wore a Rhino warframe and he was _incinerated_ by the power release."

"A… Rhino…?" Kori asked weakly. Martya nodded. "Please." She begged the Kubrow. "Please stay with Carlos. He will need you."

_I…_ The Kubrow looked away. _Kori… please don't do this…_

"I must." Kori said softly, kneeling so she was eye level with the canid and holding out her hands. The Kubrow swept close, leaning against the Tenno as Kori embraced her. The furred form was shuddering as Kori stroked her fur. "I am sorry. But this must be."

_I know._ The Kubrow said weakly. _But I do not have to _**_like_**_ it!_

"No." Martya said sadly. "Liking it is not required. Accepting it is, liking it isn't. You would have to be insane to _like_ this."

Kori hugged the Kubrow again and then rose. Martya nodded to her as the Kubrow moved a little so she stood closer to Carlos.

"First, we take an imprint." Martya said as she started off. "It is… not guaranteed to work. Three times, for no reason we have been able to determine- it failed." Kori winced, but did followed. "We have no idea why." The Kubrow whined, but remained silent otherwise as she and Carlos followed a step behind. "But all of the others times, it took."

"Some chance of some semblance of my self continuing is better than none." Kori said philosophically. "I just…" She shook her head. "There was so much I wanted to do. So much to make up for."

"It's not a great existence, Kori." Martya said with a wince. "We cannot leave the environs of the park. The power systems keep our Specters running." Kori made a face but nodded. "But you won't be _gone_."

"Better than nothing." Kori said sadly. Martya led them into a room where a chair sat alone. She beckoned Kori to the chair. Kori sat and then leaned back. "How long?"

"Done." Martya had a smile in her voice at Kori's expression. "We have gotten good at it, Kori." Sadness crept into her voice.

"All right." Kori gave a gulp as she rose. "What do I do? Is there anything I need to do?" Martya shook her head.

"You need to go alone." Martya said softly. "Back into the hall, take a left. It's the forth door on the right." Kori bowed her head for a moment, then knelt in front of the Kubrow.

"Live well, my friend." Kori said softly, holding out her arms. The Kubrow swarmed into them, licking her face. "Eww! Doggie kisses…" She said with a grin as she hugged the canid.

_I want to take your place._ The Kubrow said sadly. _But I can't._

"I know." Kori hugged the alien dog tight and then released her. She rose as Carlos stepped close, wrapping his arms around her. "Brother…" Her eyes were burning as she fought tears.

"It's all right, Kori." The Oberon said in a husky voice as he gave her a gentle hug. "Be true to the Code. Bring honor to our ancestors."

"I will do my best." Kori sounded husky now. She paused and stepped to the Trinity who nodded to her. "Thank you, Martya. Even if it doesn't work… I will do what I must."

"I know you will, sister." The Trinity Specter embraced Kori and Kori returned it. Then Martya stepped back and Kori stepped to the door. The Kubrow let out a howl of grief as Kori stepped out, but the door closing cut it off. No one was there to see her tears as she stepped to the door that Martya had indicated. She paused just outside, gathering her thoughts.

"Kori." A sour voice had Kori turning. A familiar night black Nekros was striding towards her. "Don't do this."

"Nikis, you cannot _activate_ it." Kori said firmly. "Don't waste your life for _nothing!_"

"I am angry." Nikis said as he stopped, out of reach. Not that Kori had any chance against him, in robes as she was while he was both in his warframe and fully armed. "You have suffered enough."

"This isn't about _me_, Nikis." Kori saw a puddle on the floor oozing towards the Nekros, whose attention seemed to be totally on her. "Why do you seek death?"

"You dare ask that?" Nikis demanded. "I have lived too long, endured too much. Even Tenno can go mad, Kori and I am just…about… there."

"What happened to Dust was a tragedy, Nikis." Kori said softly. "But he died a hero. I need to do this. Will you stop me?" The puddle that was likely Chris oozed closer.

"I…" Nikis slumped in place. "I want to. You are good kid. But no." He shook his head. "You can back off, Chris. I am over my pique." The puddle coalesced into the Hydroid who looked…wary.

"I didn't think that was _possible_." Chris' tone could have dried a river. "You were _born_ irritated."

"Pretty much, yeah." Nikis said sadly. "When you are… merged… Kori, we need to go somewhere. You need to talk to some people. They… explained to me what had to be done and why. I… I didn't want to listen, but they can be _dang_ persistent."

"Who?" Kori asked, worried.

"Bunch of people." Nikis said, eyeing Chris who shrugged when Kori looked at him. "The kids from before." Kori inhaled. Nikis and the First Rhino had saved a bunch of child sized Tenno who had been bio engineered by the Enemy back before Orokin had fallen. "Do what you gotta do girl. I will wait." He moved to the wall and leaned against it, his hands folded.

"I…" Kori shook herself and bowed to both Nikis and Chris. Then she hit the 'door open' command and stepped inside. The pad was gone from the room, now the only furniture was the table on which the sword sat.

She hadn't actually looked at it before. She had known as soon as she saw it what it was though. In form, it resembled the Dragon Nikana that Kori had carried coming here. The handle was long, fit for one or two hands. The guard was not the Lotus symbol that most of the Nikana that Kori had seen used. Instead, this one showed a bird in flight. She needed no imagination to figure out what _kind_ of bird.

"Phoenix." Kori breathed as she stepped forward. She ran a hand down the golden sheathe, not quite touching. What had Will called it? A saya? It was oval in cross section, and had a gem embedded near where the guard rested. A blood red ruby. She bowed and spoke in Old Orokin. -I greet you.-

_**Well met, wielder.**_

Even as prepared as she had been, both by Karl's people and the legends, Martya and the others here and everything, Kori went still as the voice of the sword sang in her head. Alive. Sentient. It was… different. Not organic. Not mechanical. Both. Neither. It felt… feminine, but not. A song of rage and sorrow was present underlying the words. Kori couldn't have said _how_ she knew that. Just that she did.

-I am ready.- Kori said as she knelt in front of the table. It was no coincidence that the table was just high enough that she could reach the sword without stretching. -We must act.-

_**You know what must be done? **_A rustle of feathers that were not feathers.

Kori swallowed hard. -I do. And I do not.- The awareness of the sword seemed to focus on her and she continued. -I know I must… merge with you. That we will slay the enemy together.-

_**There is more, wielder.**_ The sword cautioned her. _**You know the price.**_ It wasn't a question.

-There are consequences for wielding any great power.- Kori had practiced Old Orokin, but her tongue was getting tired. She wasn't used to using it. -I know that I will die.-

_**That is the **__**least**__** of it, wielder.**_ If a sword could feel horror, this one did. _**No one has told you how you will wield me, have they? **_

-No.- Kori said, feeling faint now. Was the temperature in the room rising? It felt like it. -What must I do?- She asked as she reached for the sword.

_**Something that Tenno abhor like none other…**_ The sword said sadly. _**Surrender.**_

* * *

Carlos jerked to his feet as an inhuman scream sounded. It echoed through the walls and…

"Kori!" The Oberon screamed as he ran for the door, the Kubrow on his heels. The Trinity barred it however. "Move!"

"You cannot help her." Martya said sadly. "One way or another, it will be. She is merging." She bowed her head. "It… It won't be long. For her though… it will be an eternity. The scream is birth trauma from her rebirth. She isn't actually in pain. It is shock from the change. It… doesn't actually hurt."

_What is happening to her?_ The Kubrow winced as Kori's scream increased in pitch. _She is in agony!_

"Birth is always traumatic." Martya's voice was sad and sick now. "She is _being reborn_." Carlos froze in place and the Kubrow likewise. "Did you think the sword was a _physical_ weapon, Tenno? Kubrow? It isn't."

"But… it is…" Carlos said weakly. "The Phoenix and the wielder. The legends all say…" He paused as Martya scoffed.

"Legends often have gram of truth in them." The Trinity didn't move even when the Kubrow bared her teeth. "But _finding _that gram can be a royal pain in the posterior." She said sharply. "Kori chose this, as all of us did. We knew the risks. We knew the path, if not all of its twists and turns." She looked away and Kori's scream dwindled for a moment. "Not long now." She said sadly. A new scream came and the Kubrow barked with it. This scream… was different. Less human sounding. More animal. Less fear. More… Bird of prey…

_She needs me! Move! _The Kubrow screamed. Martya looked at the canid and then nodded. The scream cut off with dreadful finality and the Kubrow was out the door in an instant, Martya and Carlos hot on her heels. But… They caught up with the Kubrow as she froze in mid run.

"I would have stopped her." Nikis said from where he knelt, head bowed against the wall. "She had suffered enough."

"Is that the only reason, Nikis?" Carlos demanded.

"No." Nikis sounded old and tried for a moment. "I am tired, Carlos. But it was explained to me why I couldn't do it. In exacting detail. I…" Suddenly, the hall seemed filled to overflowing. Golden specters stood interspersed with blue pseudo warframes. "I would have done it." Nikis was crying now.

"I know." Hayden Tenno said as he too knelt. Every single form knelt with him. Tenno waiting as they always had. Ready, wary.

The door opened and a form stepped out. It was… _She_ was energy. Fire and fury swirled inside her form as she bowed to the assembled Tenno. Was it Kori? It was hard to tell. Looking at her was like looking at the surface of the sun. Too bright to see clearly.

_**I am Phoenix.**_ The energy woman said quietly, but the sheer power was deafening. _**Reborn to need. Reborn to battle. Tenno serve, we do not rule. **_She quoted the Tenno Code mechanically. _**I am ready to do what must be done.**_

"Kori?" Carlos begged. The sun hot fury…faded and Kori stood there, archaic looking armor over her form and the Nikana at her hip. The armor looked sort of like a Zephyr warframe, but… not quite. It had an open faced helm with a raised visor… was that a _beak_ on the visor? A rack of throwing stars hung in leg holsters and an odd looking crossbow was slung across her back.

"It is me, Carlos." The energy woman said, but her voice held all of the rage and power that it had screamed before. Just… muted a little. "But not _just_ me."

_Kori…_ The Kubrow begged. _May I touch you?_

"It is not safe, my friend." The newly reborn female said sadly. The Kubrow whined and Kori nodded. "I know what I must do. Nikis." The Nekros jerked and she nodded. "I am ready."

"I would have done it." Nikis said without moving. "I have had a long time to learn how."

"I can manage." She said firmly. "Martya, Chris. Thank you. I will do what must be done." Martya and the other Specters bowed to Kori. Chris saluted. "The weapons we came with. Please send them when you send Carlos and my friend on."

"_What?_" Carlos demanded, only to gasp and fall as one of the Specters hit him with a shock prod. He collapsed in a heap, instantly unconscious. The Kubrow jumped away from the Specter that swung a shock prod at her, barking fiercely.

_What are you _**_doing?_** The Kubrow demanded as all of the Specters produced stunning weapons and stepped forward. _**Back off!**_

"They are trying to save your life." Kori… No, Phoenix replied sadly. "If the enemy takes you, they will kill you."

"And they _must_ take me."


	13. Chapter 13

**Choices both good and bad**

_What?_ The Kubrow's shout was thunderous. _Kori!_ She growled. _What have they _**_done_**_ to you?_

Phoenix stood where she had, at the door to the room where she had… transformed. Carlos lay still with Martya tending him as the other Specters slowly closed a ring around the angry Kubrow. Their stun weapons were up and ready. The golden shades of Tenno had vanished, all but the First One, who watched dispassionately. Nikis and Chris didn't move from where they knelt.

"You will be in danger the moment you leave, my friend." Phoenix said, holding up a hand as the Specters closed in. "Wait."

_I will not leave you to fight alone!_ The Kubrow screamed, a shrill cry of rage and emotional pain. _I will _**_not_**_!_

"And if you are taken? Killed? _Dissected _alive?" Phoenix demanded, her own rage and pain echoing strangely through the hallways. "Please. Do not make it any harder than it _is_. The enemy's greatest weapon is fear. If I fear for you… I will fail." Her face was sad and sick now. "Please…" She begged. "I _need_ you safe."

_I… No…_ The Kubrow begged. _Kori, no… Please don't leave me…_

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't." Phoenix knelt and slowly held out a hand to the Kubrow. "Please, my friend. Live for me."

_I want to touch you._ The Kubrow begged. She edged forward and shied away from Phoenix's hand. It was hot. Very, very hot.

"Martya?" Phoenix asked. "I don't want to hurt her." The Trinity Specter nodded.

"Phoenix." Martya said quietly. "Think about space. Calm, cool, empty. Fill the hall in your mind will the cool of space." Phoenix gasped and shuddered, but her hand and face…visibly cooled. "You don't have long. A couple of minutes at best."

The Kubrow jumped forward, tentatively touching Phoenix's hand with a paw, then licking it. She stepped forward and licked Phoenix's face.

"Doggy kisses." Phoenix said with a smile as she hugged the canid. "Please my friend. Live for me."

_Kori…_ The Kubrow whined but then slowly slumped to the floor. _I… I want to help…_

"You can help by staying safe." Phoenix said gently. "Please." The Kubrow nuzzled her hand again and then retreated as it warmed. She whined in grief and fear as Phoenix retreated as well.

_I…_ The Kubrow sank to her haunches and then to her belly. _I love you, Kori. _More than one of the watching Tenno choked up at that.

"I love you too." Phoenix said sadly. "Will you be safe so I can do what must be done?"

_I will._ The Kubrow said firmly, laying her head in her paws. _But… one thing… and I want it witnessed._ The ring of Specters all stared at her and the canid barked fiercely. _The enemy took my old life from me, made me this. My name as well. So… I choose another._ _My name is _**_Kori_**_._

"I…" Phoenix stammered, dismayed. "I am… honored. Kori."

"There may be something we can do to help you both." Hayden Tenno said into the silence that fell. The Kubrow turned to look at him along with all the others. "But not here. Not now. Phoenix…" His face was sad.

"I will do what must be done, First One." Phoenix said calmly. "I will talk to Nikis' charges and then… I know what to do."

"I wish I could help." Hayden Tenno said soberly. "This mess is partly my fault. I did not scour the area where Mezner fell. If I had cleansed it… maybe dropped a _nuke_ in the Vault…"

"And _killed_ who knows _how_ many civilians in the process?" Phoenix retorted evenly. "Don't forget _that_."

"Would have been less horrific than what we face now." Hayden replied. "_All_ the times we have faced it. All the _losses_…" He looked around at the Specters who would not meet his gaze. "All the sacrifices… Phoenix… You do honor to us all. And… All of you who have served, who _continue_ to serve." He saluted. Then he vanished.

Phoenix watched as Kori slunk backwards, tail between her legs, to huddle by Carlo's still form.

"He will be very angry when he wakes." Phoenix said sadly. "Please… do not let him harm you or himself." She begged the others.

"We have… had to deal with such before." Martya sighed. "Chris was a bit out of control for a while."

"I was angry." The Hydroid said calmly. "He will be too. But we will help him through this. Phoenix…" He rose and bowed to her. "Good journey." All of the specters nodded as Nikis rose and beckoned to Phoenix. She shook herself and started walking. He matched her strides. Behind her, she could hear the Kubrow crying and Martya consoling the canid.

"Is it wrong that I am afraid?" Phoenix asked the ancient Nekros as they walked.

"No." Nikis replied. "What you are about to do defies common sense. A little fear is understandable."

"I wouldn't call this a _little_." Phoenix said sharply, then sighed. "I don't know if I can trust you, Nikis."

"Don't." The Nekros replied quickly. Phoenix looked at him and the gunfighter shook his head. "What I said before was true. I am… unstable at the best of times. I focus it on the enemy. _Whoever_ that enemy may be. I was worried I would lose it for a long time. Dustin dying… just put the final finishing touches on it." He slumped a bit. "I would have done it."

"I know." Phoenix said with a nod. "And… I thank you for the thought. But it wouldn't have worked."

"No." Nikis agreed. "Like I said, that was explained to me." He glanced sidelong at her. "They will want to do tests."

"Nikis, do we have _time_ for this?" Phoenix demanded.

"Yes." The gunfighter said simply. "The enemy… likely knows about this gambit, Phoenix." Phoenix paused in mid stride and then continued when the Nekros did not slow. "It's been done a lot."

"I thought each strand of DNA coalesced individually." Phoenix was both confused and worried. "That they just repeat the patterns."

"They do." Nikis agreed. "But unfortunately, they are not stupid. I think the last set left messages for this one or something, or they wouldn't have known about the sword." He nodded to the Nikana at Phoenix's hip. "If they _were_ stupid, this would be far simpler and wouldn't have required such sacrifices every time." He shook his head. "They might have been listening through your four legged friend this whole time."

"They were not." Phoenix said automatically, but a waver of worry passed through her. She was part of the sword and it remembered the other incursions. "We all scanned her thoroughly, Nikis."

"That doesn't mean anything with this foe, Phoenix." The gunfighter said calmly. "They have abilities that no one else has ever seen. They do bio sciences that even the _worst_ of the Orokin idiots would have balked at. You have seen it." Phoenix nodded soberly. "Just… let them do the tests. It won't take long. Might even get us a leg up on these scum." Phoenix paused as he led her to what was obviously a long disused portal room.

"Where are we going, Nikis?" Phoenix demanded, not stepping onto the portal platform.

"Back in time." The Nekros said sadly. "Well, not really." He amended when Phoenix hissed, but he chuckled at her expression. "No, we are going to a place that Time forgot. Intentionally."

"Why did they want those kids, Nikis?" Phoenix asked, still not moving.

"You will see." Nikis promised. "Phoenix… I give you my word… No harm will come to you. I will allow you to…do what you must. But this may be our best shot at _ending_ this once and for all."

"It _can't_ be." The armored woman retorted. "They will return. It can't be stopped, only delayed. You know that. I know that."

"No, we don't." Nikis said mildly. "We _think_ that. We don't _know_ that. With the tests… We might be able to find out." He was working the portal controls now with the skill of long practice.

"And I should trust you… why?" Phoenix demanded again.

"Because I want this to end." Nikis replied evenly. "Then maybe… no other sister will have to endure what you have." Phoenix stared at him and then slumped a bit before stepping onto the platform. "I give you my word, Phoenix. I won't stop you. You will meet the enemy."

"I better." She snapped. "I do not want any other sisters facing this enemy in my stead."

A flash of gold…

* * *

"Well?" Nemesis demanded as the plot stabilized.

"We couldn't keep the track." Tech said with a grunt. "Mender's connection to the sword wielder was tenuous to say the least. All we could do was get a general location. An island in the middle the largest of Earth's oceans. But it just vanished. Completely." He sounded… baffled.

"Vanished?" Nemesis declared, her ire up. Mender hadn't replied to her last request for 'adjustment' and the Master had denied her request to visit the healer. The other two medical personnel, Toxin and Analysis, were not really capable of such things. Toxin was focused on making new and better anti-human poisons and their delivery systems for the Hive. Analysis was always busy doing all kinds of things. Both had been fused into their machinery and could not do anything but what they had been repurposed for. "We need more healers…" Nemesis mused. "The hospital staff would have been perfect, but they vanished too. Coincidence?"

"No." Tech replied evenly. "The signal types were identical. Some kind of high energy transport is my best evaluation, give our analysis."

"Can it be tracked?" Nemesis snapped. Without the ability to remain unemotional, she was sidelined for this latest fight. They had found an isolated human settlement and the Master had commanded prisoners.

"Doubtful." Tech said after a moment. "The signals are high energy, as I stated, but the pulse within them is likely directional. Tracking that pulse, the part that carries the travelers, would require far more knowledge of the system. We would need an engineer familiar with the transit system."

"Well then." Nemesis said with a hint of anticipation. "We shall see if we can find you one. Ah…" She turned to see a line of humans staggering into the ship, all burdened by controllers. "Pen them and prepare them for processing…" She paused as she saw a white tunic. A command swept through her. Instructions. "Wait. That one." She waved and a warrior pulled the bedraggled human from the line, dragging him to face Nemesis who looked him up and down. "Doctor?" The human spit at her and she nodded. "No matter. Either you are or you are not." She checked the controller. It was online, but… not fully. Somehow, he had subverted it. "Well, well, well, a smart human. Good."

The human gave a cry of alarm as Nemesis grabbed him and lifted him easily, striding towards the changing room. He struggled feebly as she laid him down on the pad, watching clinically as the tentacles swept down to end his human existence and begin his new, ascended one. His screams were music to her ears. But they never lasted long enough.

"You will be our Balance." Nemesis said quietly as the tentacles were removed and the human form had been replaced with a huge insect body. Three segments of body with a set of legs on each. A large head with long, fluffy antennae turned several compound eyes to look at her. "You will keep us in check, keep our moods and emotions from overwhelming us." The insect form rose and stepped towards her. She let it lay it's antennae against her helmet and…a buzz of something came from the form.

_Imbalance._ The word was cold and impersonal. Brutal and efficient. _Prepare._ Nemesis braced herself and did not scream as power flared through her skull. _Fixed._ The Insect said as it withdrew.

"Good." Nemesis felt better now. Calm and serene. "Strike will need you." The insect started off, Nemesis following, idly curious. Strike was lashing his whip this way and that, obviously angry. "Strike."

"_Nemesis_!" The berserker snapped. "I wanted to _kill_ them! Why _can't_ I kill them?" He demanded angrily.

"The master commanded it." Nemesis said quietly. "As he commanded this." Balance stepped forward and a barbed limb flashed out. Before Strike could move, the limb had impaled his arm and he went still.

_Imbalance._ The insect said coldly as it stepped forward. _Massive imbalance. Reformatting. _Strike managed a scream as the antennae came down, but it cut off. _More time needed._ The insect commented.

"Take what time you need." Nemesis said with a nod. "I want him happy and vicious when fighting. Docile when not. Can you do that?"

_Yes._ The insect replied and focused on his hapless subject.

_Nemesis._ The Master's voice soared through her, bringing Nemesis a feeling of relief. She was a leader, yes. But only on the battlefield. _Better?_

"Yes, master." Nemesis replied easily. "We have the prisoners. Processing has begun. Next target?" Screams, cries and whimpers of fear were coming from all of the pens now, but Nemesis ignored it. Inconsequential.

"We need to strike hard and fast." The Master replied as a humanoid form coalesced beside her. In form, it was human, but composed of blackness. No features, no nothing. Its fingers were long claws. "We need to draw the Tenno's weapon into the open so we can neutralize it."

"Destroy it?" Nemesis asked, thinking of targets.

"We cannot _destroy_ the weapon." The Master's avatar replied. "But…we _can_ subvert it. Remove it from their control and possibly turn it to _ours_. Even if we cannot, we _can_ deny it to them."

"That is… feasible." Nemesis agreed. "Orders?"

"We have located a sizable human settlement." The Master said with a nod. "We will seed it with a specially formulated sophoric compound before we attack."

"What good will putting them to _sleep_…?" Nemesis asked curiously, then paused. "Ah, hostages."

"Indeed." The Master agreed. "The Tenno will be drawn like moths to a flame. We will need several field processing units." He turned as screaming started at the processing tables and Nemesis turned to see several human children being laid on the tables. She watched as they started the process that would turn them into mobile processing forms. Each would be able to restrain subjects and change them while in the field, eliminating the need to bring each and every human back to the ship to be changed. Ten heavy duty legs would move them at a rapid pace, multiple tentacles would provide for restraint of subjects and processing capability while the small human brains would be easy to control. But…

"Who will command these?" Nemesis asked. "Is Mender still unavailable?"

"I am well." Mender's voice had Nemesis turning. But what met her gaze was… wrong. A large many legged form stood with a pod on its back. Inside the pod was a familiar green. Tentacles writhed on top of it. Nemesis paused. Why did that form have a huge head with rending talons and _teeth_? "I apologize for my long absence, Nemesis. I serve and will command the processors."

"You are back. That is all that matters." Nemesis said quietly. "That form…?" She asked, curious. "What is its function?"

"Defense." Mender replied. "Defense, medical analysis and processing as well as aggressive procurement." Nemesis looked at her, confused and Mender chuckled evilly. "Master?"

"Show her." Malice hung in the master's cold words.

A scream rent the air as a human was thrown into the room. She landed in a heap but jumped to her feet, staring wildly around. She backed away from Nemesis and the Master. Unfortunately for her, that moved her closer to Mender's new form. Nemesis watched in curiosity as one of the tentacles shot out, but stopped short of the human. A long white thread spun toward the hapless human. She saw it coming out of the corner of her eye and ducked. She screamed again and ran, but other tentacles were throwing strands of… whatever that was. The human touched one and… whatever it was, it was sticky. She struggled in the web material, but Mender was in motion. Before the human could free herself, the huge form was on her. A quick stab from a talon and the female went limp. But…not dead. Nemesis could see the woman's chest rise and fall. Her eyes were moving frantically, so she was paralyzed, not dead. Nemesis watched as the huge form of Mender's new body raised the human into position and started munching. Gore sprayed. The human jerked and was probably trying to scream, but couldn't.

"Messy." Nemesis said calmly as the human woman slowly disappeared into the form's maw. Sprays of nastiness went everywhere. "You need it done that way?"

"I need the protein." Mender replied. "But I _like_ it when they struggle." The human's body was gone now and Mender stepped up, other appendages sweeping up the gore. She was also absorbing the webbing. "I can run the processing forms easily and do other work in the field as well. This form is set up as a mobile laboratory."

"Okay." Nemesis said slowly. "You… are not as you were. May I know why?" Mender looked at the Master who made a very human shrug.

"I encountered the enemy's weapon and it hurt me." Mender said evenly. "I require regular infusions of protein to keep my cellular cohesion."

"And humans make great sources of protein." Nemesis agreed.

"One pen is dedicated for Mender's use." The master said with a nod. "Until we can find a cure for her condition, we will keep her supplied with protein."

"I see." Nemesis said as Mender stalked towards one of the pens where the screaming was loudest. "I hope she can cut the noise."

"Trust me, Nemesis." Mender replied with an evil chuckle. "I can." The door to the pen hissed open and then shut behind her.

"So…" Nemesis said with a nod as she scrutinized one of the now finished mobile processing forms. It stood quietly. "I had a thought, Master. Will Control be available for this?" The telepath's brain might work to subdue any Tenno they encountered.

"We are building a specialized enhancer for Control now." The Master replied. "It _should_ enhance his range significantly. We will not risk Control outside the ship without substantial protection though."

"Good." Nemesis said with a nod. "I think we can guarantee the Tenno will not enjoy this particular battle."

"Or survive it."


	14. Chapter 14

**Neverland**

Phoenix was ready for anything. Or so she thought. But the dozen small form that stood to greet her and the Nekros took her breath away. They were all warframes. But… miniature. That she had actually expected, having met Ona and been told a bit about Nikis' and Richard's exploits. But the rest…

She stared around. She was standing in the middle of a green field. All around the field, huge trees grew in an impenetrable looking forest. An area nearby was set up as a Zen sand garden. If she didn't know better, Phoenix would have sworn she was standing on the motherworld. The breeze on her face felt natural, not artificial. The sun overhead felt right. Looked right too. But it was the garishly painted tent that was behind the small warframes that really, really looked out of place. It was red and white and looked archaic. Were those actual wood stakes that held the ropes down? It was cylindrical, with a roof that overlapped the sides. Something about it called to her, but she couldn't have said _what_.

"Hello Phoenix." The small Nyx she had met before stepped forward. "It is good to see you again."

"Ona." Phoenix nodded to the small Tenno. "You are well?"

"We are." The small Nyx returned the nod. "I… am sorry." She slumped a bit.

"I accepted the burden." Phoenix did not bother to hide the reproof in her voice.

"I know." Ona replied. She shook herself. "Nikis?" The warmth in her voice warred with worry. "You have been gone a _long_ time."

"I ain't good company, Ona." Nikis said quietly. "I left for a reason." The Nekros seemed tense. _Far_ more tense than he had been.

"You need to rest." Ona said, her tone suddenly strong and sure. Nikis bristled, but she shook her head. "We can all feel your tension, Teacher."

"Teacher?" Phoenix asked when Nikis did not reply.

"He and Rhino taught us what it was to be Tenno." Ona's voice held old sadness, old shame. "We could not help Rhino. He left us to draw the enemy away. Nikis went off to find him. After." She sounded upset now. "And never came _back_."

"I told you why." Nikis said, but his reply sounded weak to Phoenix ears. She turned to look at him and he was weaving a bit. Two of the miniature warframes, a Frost and a Trinity, stepped up to take his hands and he steadied. "I had to do it. I was poisoning you all with my hate."

"You were falling _apart_." Ona retorted. "We could have helped you." Was she about to cry?

"Ona…" Nikis sighed. "We talked about that. I was… bad for you. I was hatred made manifest. You needed to find a better way."

"We did." Ona replied softly. She raised a hand and the two small waframes holding Nikis' hands started tugging him towards the Zen garden. "Rest, Teacher. We will talk when you have rested."

"Phoenix… I…" Nikis stammered, but did not resist as the two tiny warframes pulled him to the garden and eased him into a kneeling position, kneeling beside him. "Still pushy and bossy…" Nikis said as he folded his hands to begin meditating.

"Only with those I love." Ona said sadly as Nikis relaxed into meditation. Phoenix stared at Nikis and then at the small Nyx who sighed. "He has been… stressed so far. Too far. He needs the rest." Phoenix went still as the Zen garden suddenly vanished. "He is not gone." Ona reassure her. "Just… sequestered for a bit."

"He said you wanted to do tests." Phoenix did not move. She was wary, but not worried. This place was odd. But she felt no hostility.

"The Phoenix is an awful burden." Ona agreed. "One that even most Tenno of the Orokin era did not understand. We have… learned a lot in our exile, Phoenix. But we will do nothing without your permission."

"I do not have a lot of time." Phoenix hedged. "The enemy will be moving."

"They are." Ona agreed. Phoenix went still and Ona sighed. "We have been watching surreptitiously. Knowing your enemy is a good thing, no?"

"It _can_ be." Phoenix said, not moving. "Or it _can_ leave you open to detection and attack."

"Indeed." Ona said with a chuckle. "You were taught well. Was Nikis one of your teachers?"

"I don't remember." Phoenix said softly. "Much of what I was…before I was in cryo…was taken from me." Ona went still and then nodded.

"We may be able to help." Ona said quietly. "Will you let us?"

"Anything that touches me will burn." Phoenix warned the tiny Nyx.

"Nothing will." The small form reassured her. "We have not be idle in our time here. We may not be able to help you. But we can try." She slumped a bit. "Please let us." Phoenix nodded soberly and Ona relaxed. "Come." She waved towards the tent and started for it, the others making a row for Phoenix to pass.

"Is this an environmental simulation?" Phoenix asked as she followed the tiny Nyx. "If so, it is very comprehensive."

"Thank you." Ona accepted the compliment. "We have been working on it for a long, long time."

"Did you sleep?" Phoenix asked as the Nyx reached the tent and flaps pulled back by themselves to open a way for both of them, the way widening so that she would not have to duck to enter. Inside, an Orokin style drone hovered near the roof. Other than that, there was nothing. Ona nodded and knelt.

"We did." Ona replied. "After Rhino left and Nikis… we stayed awake from some time. But… We ran out of things to do. Boredom is a curse when you can live forever. Please…" She indicated the ground below the drone. "Lie down."

"I wouldn't know." Phoenix replied as she pulled the bow from her back, laying it aside, then pulling the sword from her waist. She lay down, but warily. She kept the sword out and ready. "My time is short." This was both a comment and a command.

"I know." Ona said sadly, then…

* * *

Phoenix jerked. She was not in the tent anymore! She was lying on a sandy beach. The ocean stretched out in front of her. Wait! She wasn't armored. She… Where was the sword? She jumped to her feet and stared around wildly. She was clad in something she didn't know, some kind of dress. Made of _leaves? _But without the sword…

_**I am with you.**_ The words came from nowhere, but were a reassurance. Phoenix relaxed. Without the sword's balance, her form would react… badly over time. _**This is a virtual simulation.**_

"That was _rude_." Phoenix said sharply. "Show yourself!" She commanded.

"I am sorry." Ona sounded honestly contrite as she appeared nearby, but…not as a Nyx warframe. No. This small human, well… she wasn't a child. No, she was fully formed, just… small. She had light brown hair and green eyes that were far, far older than the rest of her looked. She was also clad in an odd green garment that seemed mostly made of leaves. "I didn't think how you would react. I should have warned you. This is our vacation spot. Our home away from home if you will."

"This isn't real!" Phoenix snapped, staring around and then slapping her leg in irritation. "What are you _doing_?"

"Trying to relax you." Ona said with a sigh. "And doing an awful job of it. I apologize, Phoenix. This is our relaxing place. Our place to come and think, or get away from everything. The scans are going. They will take about five minutes real world time. But… I wanted to talk to you. I didn't think about how you would react on being brought here with no warning."

"Send me back." Phoenix snapped. "Now."

"I need to talk to you and it will take some time." Ona said, not moving from her spot. "Please? Hear me out?" Phoenix would have snapped an angry retort, but the sword sent a feeling of curiosity and she relaxed a bit. Not all the way, just a bit.

"Talk fast." Phoenix did _not_ relax.

"Okay." Ona said with a sigh as she knelt in sieza on the sand. "When Rhino and Nikis brought us here, they remade this pocket of the Void into something that would sustain us. It took us centuries of investigation to determine what they had done and how but we remade this place to suit our needs. A place to relax. A place to be free of what and who we are for a time."

"This isn't real." Phoenix snapped.

"No." Ona replied. "But then again, neither was the Zen garden, that clearing or the tent. Those were all holograms concealing medical technology." Phoenix did not react and Ona sighed. "I am making a muddle of this. I am sorry for acting precipitously, but your pain calls to me."

"My _pain_?" Phoenix demanded. She checked her body, but nothing hurt. "I am not in pain."

"_Physically_, no." Ona said softly. "Mentally, emotionally, spiritually?" She shook her head. "For just a moment, Phoenix, you can release your burden." Phoenix froze and Ona shook her head. "You cannot escape your path. The few scans we have done so far are… horrifying." She said softly.

"It must be." Phoenix replied.

"I know." Ona said softly. "We managed to save a lot of Tenno records after the Collapse. Far more than most realized. Nikis and Rhino knew where a lot of the old archives were stored. We managed to get access and recover lots before they fell to ruin. We know what you have to do." She bowed her head. "We cannot stop it. But we _can_ help you."

"You cannot." Phoenix retorted, but something within her seemed to ease. _What?_ She asked the other part of herself.

_**Be at peace, wielder.**_ The mind of the sword reassured her. _**They know what they are doing. Strong emotion will hasten the final change. Control yourself and you can control when it happens far better.**_

Phoenix stared first at herself, then at the still kneeling small Tenno. "I thought you were with Rachel and the First?" She asked.

"_You_ need us more than they do right now." Ona replied easily. "We have been checking our archives against theirs. We all had hoped to find something to help you. But… Please…?" She begged. Phoenix slumped.

"What do I do?" Phoenix asked softly as she too knelt in seiza. "This is… all new… But not." Indeed, so much was instinctive to her. And so much was not.

"You will learn more as you merge more fully with the sword." Ona said gently. "But… There is a trade-off. The more you merge… the more powerful you get… but…"

"The less… corporeal I will be." Phoenix agreed. "Until finally, I am no more and the power… destabilizes. What do I do?" She repeated.

"Follow me." Ona had a smile on her face as she leapt up and… didn't come down! Phoenix stared up at the tiny form as Ona shot away into the sky and then leapt up as well. Power flared behind her and she was flying!

"This isn't…" Phoenix stammered as she floated a bit and then started to fall, only for another pulse of power to flare and she rose again, following the tiny other across the sky. "What _is_ this?"

"With enough power behind it, even a _lead brick_ will fly, Phoenix." Ona replied with a chuckle. Somehow, Phoenix could hear the tiny Tenno's words even though they were far apart. "And technically, you have the power to fly over _interplanetary_ distances now. Wouldn't recommend it…" She laughed gaily as she spun in midair. "Lack of life support kind of sucks even for beings who are part energy."

Phoenix had no words. She was lost in the joy of flight. True flight. She was flying! Well, she was powered by…something. But it _felt_ like she was simply arcing across the sky. It was exhilarating!

"I…" Phoenix gasped. "Is it…always like this…?"

"This is what we do to relax." Ona said as she tumbled through the air in a complicated sequence that had her end up flying right beside Phoenix. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Thank you…" Phoenix said softly. "It does. I don't think I have ever felt so free. Not that I can remember anyway." She turned suddenly, throwing herself across the sky. Somehow, she knew what to do, how to turn and bank and dive just at the edge of control. "This is…_awesome!_" She crowed as she did a tight climbing turn that would have put any fighter jet to shame.

"We can practice as long as you want." Ona promised her. "Days here are only minutes out there. And you will likely need the practice. You never flew before and that body _can_." Phoenix stared at her and then nodded. "I wish we could help."

"You have." Phoenix said as she turned to practice something that her other self called a high 'G' yo-yo. Something from ancient air combat. "This is… very instructive."

"We can help in another way." Ona replied. "Hold on a sec…" Phoenix went still as her armor reappeared. "Wouldn't want to shock our guest." Ona said with an urchin-like grin. _Her_ attire… didn't change.

"Guest?" Phoenix asked, confused. Then she nearly fell out of the air as a roar sounded and an ancient looking _airplane_ suddenly materialized in the air beside her. "What the…?" The plane had two wings and looked… old.

"Glad you could make it, Mitchell." Ona said with a smile as she pivoted in midair to match pace with the plane. Phoenix pulsed whatever was holding her in the air to match speeds with it. The pilot of the biplane took a hand off his controls to raise his goggles. He pulled his scarf down and he was smiling.

"_Mitchell?_" Phoenix demanded. This was the former Corpus pilot? The _Diamondback_?

"They told me you might need some tips on air combat." Mitchell replied, somehow easily audible over the engine noise of his plane. "It was more a hobby for me. But Li will probably show up too." Phoenix was stunned speechless and Mitchell shook his head. "I may only be human, but we are all in this together, aren't we?"

"We are." Phoenix replied, humbled by the human's offer. This man had years worth of air and space combat experience. And Li… She went still as another form appeared beside them. The Zephyr warframe matched their speed effortlessly. "Li…" She breathed.

"Good to see you, Phoenix." The Tenno replied. "Shall we?" She waved to Mitchell and the human pilot pulled his scarf back up and his goggles down.

"Let's!" Phoenix felt… hunger rising inside her. A call to battle. A need to soar and to fight. She savored it.

* * *

Phoenix was tired, but it was a good tired. She smiled as she lit on the sand where she had started and Ona landed beside her. Above, the biplane did a long, slow roll and Li saluted. Phoenix returned the salute and both vanished.

"That… felt good." Phoenix said with a soft sigh. "Very, _very_ good. Thank you, Ona."

"You are welcome." Ona said softly. "Scans are done." Phoenix nodded. Ona shook her head. "I had hoped… I really, really did."

"Ona." Phoenix said in mild reproof. "I accepted this burden. Maybe… _Maybe_ you can find a way to keep it from happening _again_. But _this_ time… I will do what must be done."

"You are a good Tenno, Phoenix." Ona was crying as the simulation faded and Phoenix found herself lying on a table surrounded by medical gear. Some of it looked scorched.

"I hope no one was hurt." Phoenix said softly as she sat up. The small Trinity held out her crossbow to her as Phoenix attached the sword that was still in her hand to her waist. Then she slung the crossbow.

"No." Ona was still crying. "So brave, so strong… I want to help you."

"You have." Phoenix said gently as she rose to stand. "I was, for just a time, free to be myself. Free to fly. Free to feel." She bowed her head. "A priceless gift. Thank you." She bowed deeply to Ona and the Trinity. But now…"

"It is time."

**Another human outpost**

The humans again, hadn't had a chance. Before any of them had known what was happening, the sophoric had taken effect and most of them had collapsed. A few had been injured in falls, one killed. But nothing would be wasted. Dead or alive, it made no difference. It was all biomass. The entire colony of a thousand souls would serve. If this wouldn't bring the Tenno out, nothing would. But, just to be on the safe side…

"Get those humans processed." Nemesis snapped as the warriors moved through the streets, gathering still human forms and carrying them to a central place where Mender waited with the processors.

There, the mobile processing forms would do their work. Mender was there as well, supervising. Strike strode by her side. His silence now was more than a bit unnerving, but it was preferable to his constant complaining. Havoc walked on her other side and Artillery brought up the rear. She would have preferred Typhoid Mary to be with them, but that form was still badly damaged form the self-destructing hospital and it would be some time before she would be functional again. She might find another warrior to choose. She might not. It made no difference. In the end, it would end the same. The hive would prosper. The Tenno would die.

She was contemplating the various means she had to end Tenno lives when it happened.

One moment, everything was still, the only noise the sound of warriors collecting new subjects. The next, Strike was screaming, pinned to the wall of a building by a gleaming red bolt. Havoc and Artillery spun, but an explosion threw them and Nemesis off their feet, leaving a fiery mass. The force of the explosion was sufficient to toss them all aside like straw dummies, even the huge form of Artillery. Nemesis rose and stared as a form appeared from the fire ahead of them. The figure wore armor that was _not_ a warframe! And at her _waist_…

_The sword! _The master's fear sang through Nemesis as the Tenno aimed her crossbow. A crossbow that Nemesis realized was glowing with the same energy that the figure exuded.

"This ends _now_." Phoenix declared calmly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Challenge accepted**

For a moment, Nemesis just stood, stunned. All this time and the enemy came to them? So easily? Strike pulled the crossbow bolt from his shoulder and, with a scream of rage, darted towards the Tenno, who waited until he was close before moving. Somehow in the blink of an eye, the crossbow was slung and her hands flashed. Nemesis could only stare as Strike, the melee combat specialist, whipped his deadly appendage at the Tenno only have it _fall off_ as she cut once two handed with the curved sword in her hands_._

"You…" Strike stammered, staring at the limp elongated weapon as it lay on the ground. She had cut it cleanly in _half_. "I…"

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off –literally- as the Tenno followed through. He had time to _start_ to cry out as the blade slashed in horizontally, then he fell. Half of his body fell _one_ way, the other half the _other_. His eyes were open and his mouth was working in a silent scream as his remaining hand tried to scrabble towards the Tenno. The edges of the cut on the body part that Nemesis could see were _smoking! _Then the blade was back at the Tenno's waist.

"Havoc! Artillery!" Nemesis snapped out of her daze as the Tenno cut down, almost absently, cutting Strike's head in _half_. If they got him to Mender soon enough, she could heal even _that_ horrible damage. Couldn't she? Nemesis wasn't sure, since the blade was also glowing with that fiery red energy and the edges of the cut that the Tenno had just made smoldered as well. The Chosen strode forward, her shield up and ready. The Tenno spun into a crouch as Havoc raised her rifle and several small shapes flashed from her hand. Some kind of throwing blades. The objects glanced off Havoc's shield and the combat specialist chortled.

"Gonna have to do better than that, dear." Havoc sneered as she took aim with her rifle. But then the _Tenno_ laughed. "What?" Havoc demanded.

"Wasn't aiming at _you_." The Tenno replied. Nemesis turned her head to where Artillery stood, his posture amazed. She went still as his huge weapon fell from his hands. Both arms had huge gaping holes in them. The throwing blades had ricocheted off Havoc's _shield_ to hit Artillery, disarming him! He hadn't expected an attack from _that_ angle! "Thank you for letting me bounce those off your shield, _dear_." She mocked.

"Everyone back!" Nemesis snapped as the Tenno stepped forward. She moved to meet the Tenno, her own blade crackling with electricity. "Try your tricks with _me_, Tenno scum!"

"As you wish." The Tenno said with a nod, her hand going to her sword. "Miguel sends his regards, _Marlena_." She set herself and waited.

Nemesis snarled, rage surging through her. What? She couldn't understand what was happening.

_Nemesis!_ The master snapped. _She is trying to manipulate you! Easy. _A wave of calming numbness swept through Nemesis and she relaxed. The Tenno did not move, just waited. _Do __not__ kill that one. We need it alive. We need to know what they did and how._

_Alive yes. _Nemesis replied silently as she stalked towards her enemy. _Hale?_

_No. _The master's voice was cold and Nemesis smiled inside as she struck. _Have fun._

_Oh, I will. _Nemesis swung her weapon at the Tenno, but the Tenno wasn't _there_. A thunderous impact sent her reeling as her shield interposed itself between her and the Tenno more by instinct than actual knowledge. She swung, guided again more by instinct and felt the blade hit… something. But then pain ripped through her and she staggered back, staring at the tip of her blade which was smoking. _What the…?_

_The blade and her body are charged with some kind of energy._ The Master said calmly. _Retreat. Draw her back. _Nemesis did not like that idea, but liked the thought of being cut in half like Strike even less. _Havoc, be ready._

Nemesis swung her blade in a feint, but the Tenno did not take the bait. She simply stood and her body arced a bit, the crackling energy from the Chosen's blade missing her by millimeters. Then she struck and it was all that Nemesis could do to get her shield in the way. The edge of the glowing blade connected and…

**Boom!**

The energy discharge threw Nemesis back a bit and she struggled to set herself as the Tenno advanced, blade back in it's sheathe. She pondered that for a moment. Why not keep the blade out? It was obviously incredibly powerful.

_I… can't hold her…_ Nemesis said in her mind, stunned and appalled. _She is too powerful!_

_Fall back!_ The Master commanded. _Give Havoc and Artillery clear shots!_ To her credit, Nemesis tried. She really, really tried. But every time she took a step back, the Tenno would close the distance effortlessly, always keeping Nemesis' form between her and the two ranged combatants. Artillery's arms had healed and he reached down to grasp his weapon. But…

"No!" Nemesis screamed as the Tenno leaped. But not at her! She was… somehow inside Artillery's arc as he swung his huge weapon. Then _she_ struck and the glowing blade cut deep. Artillery made a soft, bemused sound and he clutched at the horrific wound. But he did not fall. "Run!" She screamed at Havoc who was standing there, looking stunned. Nemesis ran at the Tenno, only to have the hated form leap into the air. "Coward!" She screamed as the Tenno _flew away._

"Rich coming from _you_, Marlena." The Tenno's voice came easily to her ears as the Tenno landed at the next road junction. "How many of your enemies could fight back? Hmmm?" She taunted. "Well, I _can._" Her voice was not angry, no. It was cold. "But I see no reason to fight on _your_ terms when I can fight on _mine_." The crossbow was back in hand and bolts zipped towards Havoc who had her shield up, but was being pushed back by the impacts.

"Enough!" Nemesis snapped, calling power to her blade. She threw the blade at the Tenno who dodged to the side, only to be surprised when Nemesis snatched Strike's severed weapon arm from the ground and threw it like a spear. She batted the arm out of the air and was blindsided when Nemesis called her sword back. The shortest path? _Through_ the Tenno. She managed to dodge most of it, but the sword did clip her in passing.

The impact did not seem to do any visible damage, but the Tenno staggered. She made no sound. Stunned by the energy that was still coruscating through the sword? Nemesis advanced, only to hunker down behind her shield as the Tenno started throwing blades at her. Lots of blades. Soon, the area in front of Nemesis' shield was littered with decomposing three pointed stars.

"Try mine, dear." Havoc said sharply as she opened fire. The rifle spat a series of smart guided munitions at the Tenno who had her sword in hand now and batted them out of the air. "Now that is just… unfair!" Havoc declared, dumbfounded and angry.

"So?" The Tenno asked coldly. Artillery had his weapon in hand now and the Tenno shook her head. "Be seeing you." Before the huge Chosen could fire, she leaped into the air again and this time was a dwindling speck in the distance before any of the Chosen could react.

Nemesis screamed in frustration as she stalked to where the Tenno had been. But…then she paused. The ground was scorched. Indeed… Where the Tenno had stood, foot prints had been burned into the incredibly hard plastic that served as a walking surface.

_This is… not good…_ Nemesis said softly. _She will attack from ambush. Harry the warriors and… MENDER!_ She screamed and started running. _She is coming!_

_I know. _Mender's voice was calm. _We are ready for her._

_No, you are not! _Nemesis retorted. _She burned everything that touched her. I bet any web or tentacles will suffer the same fate!_

_Trust me. _Mender's voice was calm, but held a hint of anticipation. _We got a good scans of her energy aura from you. We are ready for her. Bring Strike. _Nemesis snarled, but nodded and a set of warriors scooped up the pieces of the fallen Chosen as Nemesis ran towards the plaza where Mender had set up the mobile processors. _We have our traps set and… What?_ Mender's voice turned alarmed. _No! _**_No!_**

_Mender? Mender! _Nemesis screamed as she ran into the plaza to see the Tenno in the middle of the group of processors, sword flashing. "Stand and fight, coward!" She shouted.

"No." The Tenno said calmly as she dispatched the last of the mobile processors. All of them were still. Mender's form lay still as well, the pod in which the healer had been ensconced was rent open and green goo was falling to pool on the ground. Then she leaped into the air again. But this time, something shot from nearby and enveloped her before she could get more than a few meters up. She crashed to the ground with a loud clang and Nemesis charged. Then she had to stop as energy flared in front of her. Blinding energy. The Tenno rose, the webbing material falling away, crisped. "Pity." The Tenno said softly. "These were innocents before you changed them. But there is no coming back from such fates."

"You will _die!_" Nemesis screamed as she charged, swinging her sword. The Tenno met her, blade to blade and the two antagonists danced around each other, testing defenses, seeking weaknesses. But neither had any. "How long can you keep this up, Tenno?" Nemesis demanded.

"I don't know." The Tenno replied easily. "How long can _you_, Marlena?"

"My name is _Nemesis_!" The Chosen hammered at the Tenno, her sword a literal extension of her fury as she slammed blows again and again. But the Tenno's glowing blade shed the blows like water. "Die!" She screamed.

"Not today." The Tenno replied easily. But then, she stepped into something that went splut. Unaccountable, she staggered. Nemesis pounced. The Tenno was… slower. What was that on her leg? It was… green?

_Alive!_ The Master's command hit Nemesis like a hammer, but Nemesis was too enraged to stop as she tore into the Tenno's weakened defenses. _Nemesis, we need her __alive__! _Nemesis ignored him, too enraged to care.

_"**Die!"**_ Nemesis screamed as her blade hummed towards the Tenno's, striking with the force of a battering ram. The Tenno's blade went flying and she was sent sprawling. Nemesis swung again, this time gratified when a scream of agony erupted from her hated foe. She raised her blade to end it…

_Stop._ The word came from nowhere. And everywhere. It froze every ounce of will Nemesis had, not just freezing her in place. Everything she was, everything she had been suddenly came to a crashing halt. _Sleep._

_I… _Nemesis never felt the ground come up to meet her.

* * *

"Too close…" Mender's voice was shanked as a puddle formed around the Tenno's broken form. "What was she _thinking?_ I _told _her we had the traps set." The monstrous form rose and the pod on its back now fell away, showing a green mass that oozed over it possessively.

_She wasn't thinking._ The voice of the Master said sourly. _She broke the blocks. We have to have Balance set them stronger. Perhaps… now that we have the Tenno's weapon, we can rewrite her._

"Maybe." Mender said softly as the green slime engulfed the Tenno, not affected at all by the still coruscating energies. The form spat and another green blob flew to land on the sword where it lay. "The insulation is working." But she sounded concerned.

_What?_ The Master asked as Havoc and Artillery made a belated arrival into the plaza. Both moved to cover the engulfed Tenno with their weapons.

"We don't know enough about this weapon, Master." Mender said with a sigh. "How adaptable is it? How powerful? The readings were… insane. Nothing human sized can even _hope_ to hold that kind of power for long."

_The weapon kills the wielder._ The Master said after a moment. Mender paused, absorbing that. _This is a trap. Capturing her is intended to bring her into our midst._ Mender gasped and the master chuckled sourly. _They did that before._

"So… how do we proceed?" Mender asked slowly. "We cannot remain here. Can we?"

"Yes, we can." The master replied aloud, forming his dark energy avatar nearby. "We will start building proper defenses now. This hive will be our first permanent incursion."

"And when the Grineer _nuke_ it?" Mender asked sourly, her form moving to stand over the engulfed Tenno.

"Getting a nuke through the defenses I have planned will be a difficult proposition." The Master replied. "Possible, but very difficult." He made human seeming shrug. "And if they do? What will they gain?" Mender looked at him. "We can and will reform anywhere we choose. The wielder will be destroyed, but the sword cannot be." He strode to look at it and shook his head. "At least… not yet."

"So…" Mender said softly. "What do we do?"

"We see if we can get through the wielder's defenses." The Master said calmly. "She is strong, but we have time. If we can use her, repurpose her…" He chuckled evilly, but Mender made a noise of fear. "What?"

"Master." Mender said slowly. "They have to have planned for that." The medical being of the Hive said slowly. "They _have_ to have."

"Of course they have." The master snapped. "That is what I _told_ you. If she dies, then the energy destabilizes and the energy discharge is…" He paused as Mender made a noise of fear.

"Nuclear level." Mender agreed. "Master, if they can detonate her from a distance…"

"They can't." The Master said with an evil laugh.

"Are you _sure?_" Mender demanded. "The only way to be sure of her conversion… is to do it yourself. Like you did Nemesis." The huge form turned to where Nemesis lay silent and still. "And if she explodes… That is what happened last time from what you have determined. And the time before that."

"But this time, I have an advantage." The Master said softly. "I know what Kori is. What she was. What she wanted more than anything else in the universe." Mender looked at him and he made a soft noise of reassurance. "You see… I have known Kori for a long, long time." Suddenly his form solidified into a human shape. "Daniel was a delightful pupil. But he was too eager and it killed him in the end. Brianna was weak. Too soft hearted to be a true tool."

"How?" Mender demanded. "How could you have set this up so far in advance? Taking Tenno and altering their minds during the War?"

"I didn't know until I saw her again. Just now." The Master said with a snort. "I had hoped that she would be taken from that blasted dojo when my agent failed to kill her, but this works out just as well. I didn't expect what happened. She has encountered the brats. She likely knows where they are. If I can get them… All of the Tenno will be ours to control."

"Like last time?" A soft, weak voice had both of them turning to where Phoenix lay enshrouded by green. "You are a fool."

"_Rhino_ was the fool." The Master retorted. "Be at ease, Kori." He said as he laid a gentle hand on the ooze. "Everything will be better now. Calm. Still…" She grunted and then slumped in place.

"My name…" The bound Tenno managed to grate out. "….is _Phoenix_…" She gave a soft cry and slumped further as the Master…did something.

"Easy… be silent… Be still…" The master said with a sigh. "We will tend you, girl. We will give you what you have always wanted. A family. And children."

"This is… ill advised, Master." Mender said sharply. "Perhaps we cannot destroy her without causing a massive explosion. But _altering_ her again? Master, we have no idea _what_, if anything, the Tenno have done to her since you had access."

"Which is why you are going to do as many scans as you have to, to find out." The Master replied. Mender made a disapproving noise ad he snarled. "Do not forget your place."

"I haven't." Mender retorted evenly. "My purpose is to keep the hive healthy and whole. This…" She made a noise of despair. "If that is what you wish, then I will do it. But it is a bad idea." Behind them, the techs were erecting equipment. The mobile repurposing forms were being dismembered to be rendered down to biomass. "Where?" She asked sourly.

"Here." The Master replied. A new form stepped forward and the Master nodded to it. "Meet Builder. One of a dozen I have created." Mender looked at the form and whistled in awe as it started to move. Bits of biomass were flying as it erected walls of some kind, quickly raising a domed ceiling the area. "Control will be moved here shortly to keep the Tenno docile. And maybe Nemesis too… We will have our defenses in place before the Tenno realize their weapon has failed and mount another assault."

"_Did_ it fail?" Mender asked as she bent over the still form in the green ooze. "Did it _really_?" But the Master did not hear her.

* * *

**Nearby**

_I hate this…_

The small calico furred form knelt in a storm drain, watching. He had been forced to watch the horror unfold. His orders were clear, and he had to obey them. Adherence to orders was one of his tiny clan's oldest commitments. But he didn't have to _like_ them. Not interfering went against the tiny form's very nature. Cats had always been meddlers.

_The dome is going up._ He said into the darkest recesses of his mind. _We are going to go dark, Lotus._

_Be careful Matril._ The Lotus replied, her voice uneasy. _You are the key here._

_Bring on the pressure. _The kitten commando said sourly. _I eat pressure for _**_breakfast_**_… _

But then the dome closed and the mental link cut off. He sighed inaudibly, watching the massive alien forms move about and prayed his mental shields were strong enough to keep him hidden. The metal that made up the storm drain would hide him from most tech type sensors, but this enemy _defined_ devious. So… they had to be more devious. And more ruthless. No one in the colony would ever know that their sacrifice had been a diversion to get the commando in place. One day, maybe… he could forgive himself for that. But not today. Today, he had a job to do. To be ready for.

_So far… so good…_


	16. Chapter 16

**The Enemy of my Enemy…**

"What do you _mean_ **they got her**?" Two's voice was hardly respectful. "She is the _Phoenix!_ How the _hell_ could they have _taken_ her?" The black armored Banshee was shouting and she was hardly the only one irate.

"She is not invincible, Two." Karl said quietly, although anger simmered just below his tone as well. "Just very powerful. She should have waited for us." A murmur of support went around the large gathering of Tenno. Several clans' worth of warriors had come to fight as one. But… Then Ona had arrived and dropped her bombshell.

"There was no time, Tenno Karl." The tiny Nyx called Ona sounded abject. "She was so determined to do what had to be done." She looked at Nikis. The gunfighter had been silent through the whole, now raucous gathering. He shook his head and she sighed.

"What are you not telling us?" Karl demanded. Nikis went still at that and when he did, the room did. Everyone knew who he was now. Everyone knew what he could do. "The files on the Phoenix have been altered according to our tech expert." He said sharply. Olim hadn't moved from where he stood behind Karl. He was not aggressive, just ready. For anything. "Now _who_ could alter Tenno files?" He snapped.

"Do not ask that." Ona said, her tone very sad now. "If you believe _nothing_ else I say, please believe this. You do _not_ want to know."

"Ona…" Alicia's soft voice cut through the growing hubbub like a knife. "Is this a 'need to know', situation?" Ona looked at her and nodded. Alicia stared at her and then spoke nonsense. Or… nonsense to everyone but _Ona_ who nodded again. Everything went still as Alicia gave a sob. "No… Not… Not her…"

"She…accepted her path." Ona said softly. "I can't… I was trying to find a way to help. Something… anything…"

"Alicia?" Karl asked quickly as the Trinity crumpled to the floor. Will was at her side in an instant. She was sobbing.

"I can't say. Literally cannot tell you. Classification issues." Alicia said through her tears. "But… Oh my god…" She sobbed harder as Will held her. Karl stared at her for a moment and then slumped a bit and looked at Ona.

"What _can_ you tell us?" He asked quietly.

"Things are proceeding as anticipated." Ona said softly. An ugly murmur went around the room but it stopped abruptly as Nikis uncoiled, his hands on his pistols. "Nikis…" Ona chided the old gunfighter.

"You people may _think_ you know what is going on." Nikis said, ignoring the tiny Nyx. "You don't. Be glad." He snapped. "I _would_ have taken the burden. But I could not make it work as needed. Phoenix chose her path. No one _forced_ her to take the burden."

"No?" This came from a Banshee near the back. The warframe wore an Immortal skin and her posture was angry. Her voice was taut with tension. "She wanted redemption. We all knew this. What would it have taken to… prod her into this path?"

"What would it take to prod _you_ into yapping before _thinking_?" Nikis snapped right back. Everything went still as he snarled. "Absolutely _nothing_. She _chose_ the path. I tried to get her to reconsider. If not to let me do it, then to see if others were called. She felt there was no _time._" He shook his head and slowly relaxed. "Ancestors forgive me… there_ wasn't._" He sighed and the room relaxed as his hands fell from his pistols. "There isn't."

"But now, they have her." The Banshee said, fear echoing in her tone. "What will they do to her?"

"Do you _really_ want to know?" Nikis asked the Banshee. It was as if they two of them were alone in the room. "Really?" His tone wasn't angry. Resigned. Ona gasped, but did not move when he made a sharp gesture at her with a hand. "I was here for all the _other_ times. Three times, Phoenix was captured by the Enemy. It… wasn't pretty."

"I think…" The Banshee said softly. "I think we need to."

"Get ready to puke." Nikis' tone could have cut steel now. But then it turned worse. It turned calm and clinical. "First they will find a way to either siphon off her energy or dampen it. Then…"

* * *

The Banshee _was_ puking. Many of the Tenno in the room were. All of these beings were hardened by war. Inured to death and destruction, all of these had seen horrors that any human would have thought unimaginable. But what the ancient Nekros had described… in utter stark clinical terms… was beyond awful.

"Why…?" The Banshee begged as she cleaned her face and sealed her faceplate. "Why didn't she _wait_?" She screamed, a tiny version of her battle wail.

"She couldn't." Ona said simply. "The power…destabilizes the longer she holds the sword." A gasp went around the room and she shook her head. "It kills her quicker."

"And if they separate her from it?" The Sayrn Mori stood behind Olim, but close.

"I don't know." Ona said sadly. "None of our scans were conclusive about that. We saw what she was. What she was becoming. But…" She slumped a bit. "Nikis?" She begged.

"There were…other attempts to decipher what the Phoenix did. What it was, over the millennia." The ancient Tenno Guardian of the Dead replied calmly. "Some well thought out and scientific. Others… not so much." He sighed. "The sword was stolen three times." A hum of disbelief went around the room and he shook his head. "The thief… never lived long, after."

"Is there _anything_ we can do?" The Banshee from before begged.

"We can hit the ships that they have suborned." Ona's soft words cut through the silence that fell. "Reroute them. We are the only ones who can do it safely."

"Reroute them _where_?" The Banshee demanded.

"Into the Sun." Ona said firmly. A hungry murmur followed her words. "Fusion fire cleanses even _this_ taint. The Grineer cannot fight this enemy. They have tried and every time, they have lost the forces they send. They will do as they always do, send more and more troops…" She trailed off as noises of understanding came from all around.

"And all _that_ will do is increase the enemy's numbers and store of biomass." Karl sounded resigned. "The Grineer are helpless against this threat. And for Phoenix?"

"The enemy has raised a stronghold over the former human colony." Ona said softly. "If they hold true to form, their defenses will keep any ships from approaching. Even Tenno ships."

"So we go in overland." The Banshee said, nodding, only to pause as Ona shook her head. "What?"

"The records speak of beams of organic plasma that knocked ships out of the sky." Ona said quietly. "Of minefields filled with small things that homed in on anything human sized or shaped no matter how fast it moved and either exploded or released caustic gasses." The Banshee swallowed hard. "It was like a spiderweb, by all accounts. Any disruption of any of the sensors allows for a full scale response from the entire hive." But… there was something in her tone.

"So we cannot sneak in." The Banshee mused. "Or blast our way in. So… what?"

"They are expecting a response from _us_." Nikis said softly. "They are planning for an attack from _us_." Karl stared at him and Nikis chuckled evilly. "Pity."

"Nikis…" Karl said in a warning tone. "What have you _done_?"

"Me?" The gunfighter waved a hand at his chest, affecting hurt innocence. "Nothing."

"Nikis." Karl groaned but the gunfighter just shook his head. The Rhino sighed, he wasn't going to out-stubborn the old coot. "Okay, so we hit the ships we have IDed and reroute them. And then?"

"We make plans to hit them when they flee." Ona said calmly.

"_Flee_?" A chorus of astonishment went around the room, but she just chuckled. Darkly.

"They will. I would _too_…" Ona said with hint of malice. "After all, we are not the _only_ ones they have angered…"

**An outpost of horror**

"Report." The master's voice was calm, but held something. Something that wasn't rage. Wasn't frustration. Wasn't… quite anything that could be defined. Just that it wasn't _good_. He was still in his dark energy avatar.

"Nemesis is stable and Balance is working on her now." Mender said quietly from where she was situated. The tub in which her form was now dissolving its latest dose of protein sat beside the oblong shape in which their prisoner lay. "The energy patterns are destabilizing no matter how hard we work to stabilize them."

"This is not good, Mender." The Master snapped. "You promised results."

"I _have_ results." Mender snapped right back. "They are just not what you wanted." Her tub jerked as the master tapped it and she snarled. "Go ahead, hurt me! It won't change the _facts_. Unless we can stabilize the energy patterns, we are wasting our time here." The master retreated a step, obviously working to stay calm and Mender continued in a calmer voice. "We cannot access her form physically with the energy coruscating through her. Every probe we have touched her with has burnt to ash before it can sample. Blades likewise."

"Nemesis managed to cut her." The Master wasn't arguing. Stating facts.

"And the contact _really_ hurt Nemesis' sword appendage. Did you see the scarring?" Mender said, her tone sick. "No wonder she was so angry." The Master growled and she hastened to continue. "I am not _agreeing_ with her loss of control, but she _was_ in great pain."

"Agreed." The Master looked towards the ship where Balance was working on Nemesis and the other Chosen were being rejuvenated. Even Strike, although Mender was not sure how the melee combatant would recover. Or if he would. Of course, if they had to make a new personality to fill the shell, they could and would. Artillery had been cut very deeply by the enemy's blade. At least the wound had cauterized from the energy flow, but still… Havoc was the only hale Chosen at the moment and _she_ was busy coordinating the still building defenses. "And until we can touch her safely, we cannot access her mind." He shook his head, staring at the other pod. The sword lay where it had fallen, covered in insulating goo. No one had dared touch it. He was…

**BOOM!**

Everything rocked as a thunderous detonation rolled across the area. The sound was dreadful and the shockwave moments later just as bad.

"What the…?" The Master and Mender both exclaimed as one.

"What the _hell_ was that?" The Master snapped. Mender checked her prisoner, but shook her head.

"It didn't come from her or the sword." Mender said sharply. "Control has her docile." She nodded to where a human brain sat in a jar atop a many legged form. The telepathic brain worked well to keep the Tenno sedated. It couldn't do much more, but it could do that. It had been repurposed to keep subjects docile, no more. In hindsight, that had been a blunder.

"Then what the hell…?" The master was hardly the only one to scream as another explosion sounded. "Report!" He shouted.

_Master!_ Havoc's voice held panic. _Corpus ships in distant orbit! Out of range of planetary batteries! They are firing again! Incoming Kinetic Energy Projectiles! _The Master threw himself over Mender's tank as another roar of thunder hit and the dome overhead gave a groan. _It is not **possible**! _The Chosen declared, irate. _Our defenses are taking most of them out, but they have already destroyed **three** of the guns. They _**_cannot_**_ be hitting us that accurately from that far out._

"Well they _are._" Mender replied. She looked at the Master who looked thunderous himself. "Orders?"

"If they are that accurate, they can sit there and pound us to pieces." The master said after a moment of mental checking. "Our own ships are now under attack. This was… planned. They hit us when we were least ready." He shook his head in a very human gesture. "Retreat."

"Master?" Mender asked even as pseudopods started flashing across controls. Her form reached down and carefully extended two legs under the pod that held Phoenix.

"We have been outmaneuvered." The Master said sourly as Control's form started to rise as well to maintain its position near the slumbering Tenno. "We expected an attack by Tenno. Not this…" Another rumbling shook the area and the dome overhead creaked, pieces falling. "Get to the ship. Get _her_ to the ship." He reached down and tried to grasp the sword, only to gasp and retreat as the pod it was in flared and was gone! "Go!" He commanded, seeking a way to lift the sword even as it flared brighter and he retreated.

_Corpus Proxies!_ Havoc screamed over the mental link. _All over the place! We cannot hold them! _Her mental cry was cut off in a wail of agony.

_Havoc?_ The master shouted as Mender started for the ship. _Mender move!_ The spiderlike form started moving faster, Control following as fast as its form would allow. Which wasn't very fast. No one had planned for it to have to move fast. _Havoc! Respond!_

_Master… _Havoc's voice was weak and full of fear now. _She… comes… _The mental voice cut out with dreadful finality followed a moment later by the feeling of death through the massed mind.

"What is happening?" Mender demanded as she ran up the ramp of the ship. Another rumble sounded. This time, bits of the dome fell, some squashing warriors as they fled for the ship.

"What is _happening_?" A female voice sounded and everything seemed to stop as a hologram appeared in the square where Mender had been. A dozen green hulled Corpus Proxies entered the square. Some firing, most just circling the still alien form composed of black energy. She wore familiar robes in Corpus colors. "I _told_ you I would take more from you than you took from me." Another rumbling detonation sounded. In the chaos, none of watchers noticed a tiny calico furred form dart up the ramp and into the ship to vanish. "I think this base is a good down payment on the debt you own us, monster."

"You." The master's voice was cold and angry now. "You cannot stop us."

"No." The Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy agreed. "But I _can_ slow you down." She chuckled evilly. "Let's see how fast you can run, abomination. Can you _outrun_ our _guns_?"

The holo vanished and Mender screamed as the hatch shut. Hundreds of the hive were still outside, including Control. The ship rumbled as it took off. She could feel the deaths of the hive as the Corpus automatons took the stronghold apart piece by bloody piece. The warriors fought. It was all they knew how to do. Control had nothing _to_ control and stood there as a dozen MOAs poured fire into his still form. She could feel it's pain and confusion as it died, as so many other warriors and techs died. As every minion who had been in the stronghold died under Corpus guns.

_We have lost this battle._ The Master's command was implacable. _But if you can siphon or dampen the Phoenix's power we can still win the war._ Mender laid the still form of the prisoner down on the repurposing table and snarled softly. So many lost. The ship jerked and the Master snarled right back. _The hive was expendable. You and she are __not__. Do your job._

_Yes. Master. _Mender said as she started setting up her equipment again only to pause. The readings… "This…This cannot be…" The readings were lesser. _Master? The sword?_

_Lost to us. _The Master's tone was beyond angry now. _Why?_

_I have her. _Mender said as she touched a control and the energy that was still seeping through the cocoon started to dissipate. _I _**_have_**_ her! The power must have been strengthened with proximity to the sword. With distance, I can siphon the power. I have access! _She hit another control and tentacles arced down to start their grisly work. They cut the cocoon over the Phoenix's head and started sawing into her helmet.

_Good. _The Master said with heartfelt glee. _Prepare her for repurposing. But… gently._

_She wanted a family. _Mender said just as gleefully. _Kids._

_And so she shall have both. _The Master said with a smile. _Bring her home, Mender. Bring her to the main hive so she may bear the future._

No one noticed a small furred rom watching from a tiny shadow near one wall.

**Back at the Outpost**

"Anomalous energy readings." The Corpus Tech shook his head as he and his team scoured the site of what had once been a fairly thriving human colony. "Lots of biomass. No sign of… Wait…" The team of Crewmen with him spun, staring around, their Dera and Flux Rifles seeking targets. But… nothing. "Erratic energy readings. Not anything from the enemy."

He strode forward, his Supra also scanning for targets. This… horror was beyond imagining. He could see bits of Corpus tech, bits of Grineer tech and lots of human bits lying all around. The capital ship bombardment _should_ have rendered everything down to paste in the area, but lots of mess survived. Strongly built, if horrifically. He had his orders though.

"There." One of the Crewmen pointed with his Dera and the Tech spun to see an open area. In it, an archaic looking sword lay bare on the ground, surrounded by a burnt patch.

"Energy readings are off the scale." The Tech said dubiously. But… He went still as a dark form separated from the remnant of a wall nearby and then he wanted to wet himself. Tenno. He didn't know what kind. But a Tenno. He… did not raise his weapon. He _slung_ it. The others did, but lowered them when he made a curt gesture. "Stand down!"

"Sir…" The Crewman said slowly as the Tenno strode to where the sword lay.

"We have our orders, Crewman." The Tech said as he pulled a heavy containment vessel from his back, laid it down, opened it and stepped back. The Tenno looked at him, picked up the sword by the handle and carried it to the containment vessel. Was it the tech's imagination hat the Tenno's hand was smoking? No. It _wasn't_ his imagination! "Everyone back." The Tech commanded as he pulled his Supra down again, but did not raise it into firing position.

The Tenno laid the sword in the containment vessel, sealed it and picked it up.

"Sir!" The Crewman protested. "We cannot just let it _leave_ with that!"

"If _you_ want _try_ to stop it, go right ahead." The Tech replied. "We have our orders and I _doubt _that Tenno is alone." He could swear the Tenno was amused as it, no _she_, looked at him. "Go." He said to the Tenno. "The Reverend Mother commanded us to find that and bring a containment vessel. Then leave." He nodded to the Tenno even though it felt...wrong.. "We will sanitize the area. A nuclear warhead will do the job." The Tenno nodded, just a little, and just like that, she was gone.

"That artifact is _priceless_! Do you have _any_ idea what the _Board_ will…?" Whatever else the Crewman was going to say was cut off as the Tech's Supra discharged a bolt. The Crewman fell without another sound, a smoking hole burned in his chest.

"Anyone _else_?" The Tech looked around, but the others were studiously ignoring the corpse. No one moved. "_Good_. This did _not_ happen. The _Board_ isn't here." The Tech said calmly. "The Reverend Mother _is_. And I do _not_ want her angry with _me._"

_No…_ Jasmina thought to herself as she ghosted from the area. _Not someone to anger…_


	17. Chapter 17

**Corruption**

The being known as Mender watched with some concern as her appendages worked carefully to remove the armor that clad the woman known as Phoenix. Something was not right.

Every scan was in the green. Every choice that she made was the best one. She –well, the Master anyway- had corrupted Tenno before. It was never easy. Tenno had mental defense down pat. If she was not careful, Phoenix would suicide. It wouldn't take much. With Control gone, all that Mender had to keep the Tenno docile were drugs and _those_ were notoriously fickle when Tenno were concerned. Physical restraints were generally a bad joke where Tenno were concerned. So she was taking no chances.

Tenno were not humans. They had evolved from humans, but they were not. The warframes that they wore were only the most blatant difference. Their bodies were laid out mostly in the same ways, but they had other organs that humans did not possess. Mender hadn't been able to 'acquire' any viable samples of living Tenno flesh prior to this, but the Master had. The problem was that no Tenno was exactly the same as any other. That was one thing that made them such efficient weapons. No control method that worked on one would be guaranteed to work on any others. And then… The Phoenix.

The form laid out in front of Mender was different still from almost all of the Tenno scans that she had available to peruse. The ones that she had the most of had been from a male Tenno who had fallen into the Master's clutches and been 'adjusted' pretty severely before the Sentient War. Something was… not right here. She was…

Mender focused her scans on the Phoenix's head and abdomen and then went still, her jelly form quivering in shock and fear as she read the scans.

_This… isn't possible…_ Mender said to herself, checking her machines. The energy that she had been siphoning off was… not coming from the Phoenix! It was coming from… She gave a short cry as something insanely powerful grabbed hold of _her_. Of her _mind! No…_

_You will not remember what you just saw. _The minds that held hers commanded. No matter how she struggled she could not break free. Could not warn her Master. Could not look away from the tiny metal sliver embedded in the abdomen of the Phoenix. The metal sliver that exuded power that was redlining all of her scanners. _You will corrupt her, but not realize what you are seeing if you see it again. A malfunction of the scanners._

Mender jerked. What had just happened? She stared at the scanners and sighed. She was tired. A beep sounded and she looked at the scanner idly before reprogramming it to ignore the malfunction. It wasn't _possible_ that a fragment of the _blade_ had embedded itself in the reproductive organs of the Tenno woman before her. Just not possible.

* * *

_Too close…_ Phoenix said softly as Mender started working again. She tried to ignore the pressure on her skull and abdomen. _Don't do too much._

_Teach your grandmother to suck eggs, Phoenix. _The voices that had warned her, guided her through the fight with the Chosen and allowed her to remain in control even as her body fell and was taken by the enemy said sourly. Phoenix bit back a mental chuckle. That would have given the game away. _This enemy is powerful, but… limited._

_**Please**__ be careful._ Phoenix begged. _We only have one shot at this._

_No, Phoenix. _One of the massed minds said sadly. _**You**__ only have one shot at this. I was called too. If you fail… I will take up the burden._

_I am sorry, Jasmina. There was no time. _Phoenix tried to ignore the warm wetness that was flowing down her scalp now. Tried to ignore the pressures and odd feelings in her lower body. _Ancestors… I…_

_We have you. _The massed minds that had helped her said and she sank into their embrace gratefully.

_Thank you._ Phoenix said gratefully. _I don't know how long… I will hold out as long as I can… _Pain seared through her and she could not bite back an audible groan. The blob in front of her did something and the pain vanished, but the pressures remained._ I…_

_I know._ Jasmina's voice was soft and gentle. A wave of bliss swept through Phoenix from her allies. _Easy, Phoenix…_

_Don't… _Phoenix felt the first touches of evil alien thought impinge on her mind and closed it up tight. A wordless caress was the last touch she had from Jasmina's friends and then she was alone again in her mind. But only for a moment.

_We have you._ The words were gentle, the tone was anything but._ You are ours._

_Never._ Phoenix snapped. She had to make this look good. She buried that thought deep in the deepest recesses of her mind as tendrils of alien thought pried into it. _You will not take me!_

_But we have._ the mental touch of the hive was… subtly wrong. It jangled when it should have soothed. It struck when it should have caressed. But its sheer power bore down on her mind. _Your body is ours to reshape as we will. Your mind as well._

_It will take you longer than you _**_have_**_._ Phoenix retorted.

_We have separated you from the sword._ The massive alien intellect said with an amused chuckle. But then it turned sad. But it… didn't get the nuances quite right. It aped the mannerisms, but it wasn't human style emotion. Not…quite. _Resistance is futile, Tenno. Why prolong your pain?_

_Because I will not let you destroy humanity without a fight. _Phoenix said simply and braced herself. But instead of more mental assaults…

"Humanity hates you." Mender's voice sounded genuinely touched. "And you defend them?"

_It is what we do._ Phoenix could not verbalize audibly. Whatever was being done to her was past her speech center now, but she could spit her derision mentally. _It is what we are._

"You Tenno are just as dedicated as we are." Mender said softly. "If more deluded." Something touched her arm and it went numb. "We have a purpose too. It is what we are for."

_I know._ Phoenix snapped. _Horror. _Pain lanced through her from the arm that had been numb and she could not give vent to the scream that tore through her. Not audibly.

"Stop resisting and it will stop hurting." Mender said, to all audible appearances concerned. "You only hurt yourself. You will not stop what is coming. Dear…" Something stroked her chest and she gasped in her mind as feelings of pain warred with pleasure. "It can be wonderful."

_I… Will… not…_ Phoenix felt herself start to slide. Start to gibber into madness, but something seized her and held her back from that yawning pit.

"We will not let you go." Mender said quietly. "We will not give up on saving you. Because you are the future, dear Kori."

_My name is Phoenix!_ The silently screaming woman managed to grate out as pressure mounted again.

"Not anymore." Mender said quietly. "Now? You are 'Mother'." Even knowing what the enemy had planned for her, the sheer horror of the situation rocked Phoenix, as the enemy had planned. "You cannot prevail. All you do is hurt yourself. I do not like seeing you in pain, Kori."

_MY NAME IS _**_PHOENIX_**_!_ The bound Tenno thundered in her mind loudly enough that the blob actually recoiled a bit.

"No, your name is Kori." Mender replied softly and a sense of power flared in Phoenix's mind. A compulsion. She fought it back. "Now you are just being silly, girl." The blob chided her. "Even Tenno know they cannot win every battle. You should rest. Recover your strength. Nemesis hurt you." Phoenix snarled her silent defiance and the blob sighed. "You should rest." A stronger compulsion seeped through Phoenix's mind and she cursed as she fought it back, fighting to stay awake. "Dang it, girl…"

The blob retreated from where Phoenix lay. The bound Tenno could not see what the alien monstrosity did, but suddenly, she was alone. For the moment. Only the continuing pressures on her skull and abdomen kept her on edge. Then she could only scream silently as power flayed the inside of her mind.

_Sleep._ The command burned through every fiber of Phoenix's body, but somehow she fought that compulsion back as well.

_You…_ Phoenix gasped in the halls of her mind. _Do… not… own me…_

_No?_ The alien mind scrutinized her and then a blade of pure force tore through her, searing, cutting, probing. She fought back, counting as she had been taught to ward off mental probes, but the power… The sheer power was staggering. The alien mind made a satisfied noise. _You are weakening. You will serve._

_You _**_wish._**Phoenix snapped. She tried a biofeedback technique, to stop her heart, and was not surprised when it did not work.

_Your body obeys our commands._ The alien menace said calmly. _Your mind will bend to our will. It may take ages. But it will._

_You… haven't got… ages… _Phoenix grated out as the pressure on her mind increased. She could feel movement around her. Something was happening. The surface she was lying on was moving. But to where? Then her vision cleared.

She stared up at a huge pile of flesh. It sat in the middle of a large cavern. There was nothing even vaguely human about the mass of flesh. It had multiple tentacles sweeping this way and that across the area, some with vicious claws, others with more delicate manipulators. Whatever she was lying on was now moving as a hole was opening in the large fleshy mass. A hole just big enough for her body to fit in!

_Welcome. Mother. _The mind of the master of the Chosen did not press on her tightly. It didn't have to. _You will do many good things for our group._

_No… I won't…_ Phoenix managed to say, but then the sheer pressure silenced even her mental voice as she slid into the hole and she felt flesh close around her. _I… _

_That was very sneaky. _The Master's mind was openly admiring. _You tampered with Mender so cleanly that if I hadn't been watching closely, I never would have noticed. _Phoenix went still and the Master chuckled. _Easy…_

Phoenix could not even scream as her body seemed to fall apart. She could feel each and every part of her body taken… elsewhere to be reformed. Then her mind was frozen by a will so titanic that her mightiest struggles were as insignificant as a gnat trying to lift and elephant.

_You are mine._ The Master said calmly and Phoenix could not even cry as her mind was rewritten. But then it paused. _What is this? What other minds helped you? Who? What is this blankness?_

_F*** you! _Phoenix snapped, fighting to hide her elation that it could not read the plan from her mind.

_No, my dear._ The Master said in a tone of complete understanding. _There is no need for such physicality._ Phoenix's eyes opened and she was lying on the slab in front of the huge mass of flesh again. But this time… her body was changed. Somehow, she could see herself and knew she was seeing her body from the Master's perspective. But… It _wasn't _her body.

Where before she had possessed a humanoid form, toned and fit from a lifetime of training and combat, now her belly was huge. The abdomen alone was four or five times the size of a human body. Her arms were gone. In their place, a mass of tentacles waved from where each shoulder had been. Her legs were mere stumps. Apparently, she wasn't supposed to move from where she was. But it was the other part of the transformation that truly frightened Phoenix. The head of the body she knew somehow was hers was thin, far too thin. And instead of a mouth, multiple tentacles fell across her chest.

_What have you done…?_ Phoenix begged, feeling her sanity start to fray again. But again, something grasped her and held her, pulling her back from the brink.

_Oh, my dear…? _The Master said almost kindly. _You haven't seen anything yet. You are hungry. _This last was in an odd tone and suddenly, Phoenix felt ravenous. Hunger pangs struck her with the force of a tsunami. A scream sounded as a familiar form carried a struggling human boy into the room. He couldn't have been over ten years old. Nemesis did not speak. Instead, she set the boy down beside the slab on which Phoenix lay and held him there despite his struggles. _Feed._

_No… _Phoenix begged as her body, ignoring her commands, rose up on it's stump legs and tentacles reached for the boy who screamed again. As soon as the tentacles touched him, he went limp. _What?_

_Paralytic toxins. _The Master said calmly as Phoenix quailed. _Feed._

_No… _Phoenix begged again as the tentacles pulled the limp form close to her chest and the tentacles where her face had been slowly reached down to encompass his head. A sick crack and warmth flooded through Phoenix.

_Eat your whole meal, child. You are eating for many now._ The master commanded and Phoenix could only watch as the tentacles crushed the boy's body into small enough size to be ingested through the tiny mouth that she could feel opening and closing, devouring the boy's brain first. Then the rest of him. Bite by bite. _Welcome home…_

_You will pay for this… _Phoenix screamed, but it went nowhere. She was… suddenly lost in a dark void that clasped at her, grabbed at her, whirling her around and pulling bit and pieces off of her. She was losing. Her mind was being pulled apart now. _I am Phoenix!_ She screamed in defiance.

_No._ The Master said calmly. We will… Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by an explosion. She had a moment to feel triumph and then the blast wave hit her.

* * *

"No!" The master screamed as the table Phoenix lay in was shattered by the blast. The body on it was torn and battered. "Mender!"

The blob slid in quickly and started working on the broken form as the Master's will scoured the area. Nemesis stood silent as Mender worked.

"Where did that blast come from?" The Master demanded. "It wasn't anything on or in her. It was external, under the slab." His tentacles came down, but were stymied by the narrow space under the slab. "Nemesis." The armored Chosen knelt and peered under the slab, but shook her head. "It had to come from somewhere!" He snapped.

"Oh it did." A calm, female voice sounded and everything stopped as a new form entered the cavern. Tenno. But… It was… an Ember Prime warframe, but it looked… odd. Almost… Infested? Its colors were greens and pinks… _Very_ different from normal Tenno colors. The warframe looked…

"You dare!" Nemesis strode to block the Tenno only to freeze as the Master willed her to. The Torid launcher in the Tenno's hands would kill most of the forms in the cavern despite their armor. Mender and Phoenix had no chance at all against whatever gas was in it.

"Who are you?" The Master asked, curious. "You are… not Tenno. You feel… familiar." He mused.

"Yes I _am_ Tenno." The odd female replied evenly. She shook her head and spun as warriors started to enter the cavern. The grenade launcher burped twice, the grenades exploded in the middle of the way that led outside and the first wave of warriors hit the twin dark green clouds and died without a sound. "How many are you willing to _waste_?" She asked, coldly curious.

"Stop." The Master commanded as Nemesis raised her sword. The warriors who had been approaching… retreated from the expanding clouds as the Tenno reloaded her weapon easily. "You cannot win here, Tenno. You seal your fate."

"_Do_ I?" The female Tenno asked sarcastically as she raised the launcher. Mender did not move from where she was still healing Phoenix's still form. "Do I _really?_" The Master stared at her and then made a noise of confusion.

"This is not an attack or you would have fired without speaking. A diversion?" The Master asked. "From what?"

"You are smart." The female Tenno said calmly. "_You_ figure it out."

"You are dead, Tenno!" Nemesis shouted. "Even if you kill all of us, you will never leave this cavern alive!"

"Maybe not." The Tenno replied. "What makes you think I _care_, Marlena?" She asked sarcastically.

"Don't call me that!" Nemesis screamed, her sword coming up to strike.

"Nemesis!" The Master's word was a command and she froze in place, quivering as she fought his control. "What do you want, Tenno?" He asked, his tone curious.

"What I want, I cannot have." The newly come Ember Prime said softly. "And no matter your power, you _cannot_ give it to me. I want my _sister_ back." She nodded to where Phoenix lay. "And that is beyond your power." She said sadly.

"We can offer you a place with our family." Mender said into the sudden silence that fell. "Then she will be your sis-…" The blob went still as the Torid leveled at her. At this range, it would likely tear right through her jelly like form before exploding.

"I am talking to _you_." The Tenno said to the Master. "Not your pawns. Do them a favor and shut them up."

"Mender." The Master said slowly. "Mother's status?"

"Bad." Mender said softly. "Critical even. Her reproductive organs are torn up. I need to get her to the…" She gulped as the Ember Prime growled.

"What part of 'shut them up' do you not understand, monster?" The Tenno declared as she spun and fired a round. The grenade exploded in the midst of the squad of warriors who had been trying to flank and they all died silently. "This is pointless." She said sourly. "You have to try and take me. I get it. Sheesh… I didn't think even _you_ could be so clueless…"

"That weapon… annoys me." The master said with a growl of his own and the Torid _fell apart_ in her hands. She dropped the fragments and they vanished into motes of dust before they hit the floor. But… A disk fell into her hand and extended, blades coming from three places as she swung the Glaive Prime into a guard position. "You cannot win, Tenno. You are not the First!" Was that _fear_ in his voice?

"No." The Tenno said with a grin in her voice. "But you see…I don't _need_ to be…" Nemesis stepped forward, her shield up and sword ready.

"And why is that?" The master demanded as he let Nemesis close in finally. "You are alone and we are _many_."

"Two reasons. One, you cannot disassemble _this_." She brandished the Glaive. "And _two_? Because…" Jasmina's voice had turned feral. "I am _not_ alone…"

On her words, a blast similar to the one that had destroyed the slab erupted from one wall. A wall that was suddenly shown to have been man made, the metal buckling away from the explosion's center. A tiny calico furred form scuttled through and away as a veritable _horde_ of Infested charged into the cavern through the new hole.


	18. Chapter 18

**Infested!**

It was utter chaos. The hive warriors who had been filtering in through hidden ways to try and ambush Jasmina as she focused on the Master were taken completely by surprise. It wasn't just lesser forms. Ancients howled their way into the melee, bowling aside whole groups of hive warriors. Nemesis charged Jasmina and the Ember Prime met her halfway. The bioelectricity charged sword and Glaive Prime met in shows of sparks, both armored females trading kicks and punches as well. Mender was cowering beside the still form of Phoenix. Not only was she unarmed, but even the least of the Infested could tear her to pieces with ease.

_Mender!_ The Master's mind called. _Get on top of Mother!_

Mender did not argue. She oozed herself over top of the sorely hurt form that the hive had repurposed and was not surprised when both it and she were pulled into the Master's massive bulk.

_What is happening?_ Mender begged. Everything was warm and dark.

_Whoever sent that fool Tenno made a grave tactical error._ The Master said sternly. Sudden information poured into Mender's mind. She could see the battle unfolding around the cavern. _Infested…_ His mind swept out, but then he paused._ I… cannot touch these… there is… something… blocking me. _Confusion rose, warring with fear. _What is happening? I cannot take control of these._

_That isn't possible! _Mender wailed.

_There is something blocking me._ The Master declared._ I cannot see what. Or where, but these are outside my control._ "Enough!" He shouted aloud as Nemesis was struck from behind by a blue tinged Ancient and tossed away from the Tenno to land in a sparking heap. "Face me, Tenno!"

"Gladly." Jasmina threw the Glaive and it arced, slicing tentacles as it flew. "We _exist_ to stop you. We always have, we always will. You and your kind are nothing but footnotes to history. Best _forgotten_!" She shouted as she dodged a swinging tentacle, swinging up onto it lithely. "Ride em, cowgirl!" Jasmina said with glee as she straddled the appendage. The Glaive came back to her hand and she sliced deep, deep into the mass of flesh even as it threw itself at a wall to try and dislodge the irritant. Just before it hit the wall, she jumped away, pushing off the wall with both feet to fly back towards the still unfolding carnage. But…

The Master screamed as his tentacle exploded. Mender rushed to sooth the pain and he relaxed.

_How did she do that?_ Mender begged as she worked to heal the damage as best she could from the inside. At least her jelly form allowed for movement in very limited spaces.

_I don't know._ The master snapped, angry. _She cut the skin and must have put something inside. It was similar to the explosions that hurt Mother and destroyed the wall. But… not. Bio explosive of some kind. We must end this._

_Master… _Mender said softly. _Toxin had developed a last resort agent._ She didn't want to do this. The caustic agent would kill any biomass it touched. That would render it unusable by the hive. But if they all _died_ here… _We can deploy it if we must._

_Last resort indeed._ The Master replied. _Let's not do that until we have no choice._

The battle was remarkably even. The hive warriors fought in silence, each using its weapons to its fullest ability. The Infested matched them in numbers and sheer ferocity. But the Infested fought with growl and cries that sounded… off to the onlookers.

_Are they communicating?_ Mender asked, dazed, as a large hive warrior was pulled down and savaged by a pack of Infested. The Chargers swarmed its legs, leapers and Runners hit it up high and it toppled. Several wounded Infested were being pulled back to where a trio of Ancients stood, green healing pulses sweeping from them. They were not engaging the warriors, instead, they were healing their wounded. Totally atypical behavior. _They must be. Somehow._

_I cannot hear them._ The Master sounded uneasy. _Ah, reinforcements!_

Mender felt relief as Artillery strode into the cavern, a large weapon in his hands. Projectiles flew from it in a wide sweep, felling Infested in droves. Three more squads of hive warriors followed the Chosen. All carried ranged weapons and fired as soon as they could see the enemy. Nemesis was on her feet again, engaging the Ember Prime. Both were moving fast, the Ember faster than the Chosen, but less protected. Her warframe already showed scars of damage. Fluid was falling from several wounds as well.

_We have them?_ Mender asked, then she screamed. She was not alone.

The entire hive screamed as pain seared through it. A large white form jumped down from the Master's top, a gleaming golden bladed staff in hand. Other armored forms followed, each striking the Master in passing with blades. More Tenno! Two, four, seven of them! Including the black armored form that had so infuriated the Master before.

_Enough!_ The Master's rumble of anger shook the entire cavern. _Die! All of you! Die! _The tentacles rose again, this time crackling with malevolent energy as well as toxins.

"Not today, monster." The skeletal black warframe said offhand as he poured fire from paired pistols into the hive warriors who were recoiling. Not from his fire, which only hurt them one time out of ten, but from the sheer malevolence of his own anger. The dark power that seeped off him. "Kori…?" He said in a conversational tone that somehow was everywhere. "Now."

* * *

**Flickers**

Phoenix was lost. She was alone in the darkness. She had been pulled apart, the enemy had been squeezing every drop of information from her mind. She had been trying to conceal the plan from them, to keep the enemy from realizing exactly what was planned. That what had been done to Phoenix didn't matter. That everything that had happened led to a goal. A specific goal, if a horrific one.

_Phoenix?_ The voice was familiar. The fear in it called to Phoenix. The worry, the love…

"Kori?" Phoenix asked, worried. Suddenly, she wasn't alone. A large furred form stood beside her in whatever she was in. The Kubrow whined a little as she stepped close. "I…" Phoenix sighed deeply. "Is it time?"

_Not just yet._ The Kubrow replied. _Soon._ _Oh my friend…_ The furred form stepped close and nuzzled her. _I am sorry, Phoenix. I… I would have tried to do it for you._

"I know you would have. But this was my burden. I chose it, knowing what had to be done." Phoenix replied easily as she knelt, hugging the Kubrow tight. "Carlos?"

_He tried to come._ The Kubrow said sadly. _He became violent and Chris had to restrain him. _Phoenix hissed and Kori reassured her. _He is unhurt. But very angry._

"He will try to stop me." Phoenix said sadly. "Please don't let him come to harm."

_I won't._ Kori promised her. Then the Kubrow jerked. _Time. Phoenix… I…_ She nuzzled her good friend again. _I love you._

"I love you to, Kori." Phoenix said, hugging the canid. Then she focused herself.

Suddenly, she could see. The world was a gap of brightness that opened up for her. Kori was nowhere to be seen, but Phoenix could feel the canid's love, her support, even as her horrifically molded form rose at some_thing_ else's commands.

"Mother." The Master said firmly. "Feed."

Phoenix could only scream inside as tentacles swept up Infested. As she touched them, they went limp. She pulled them close and could not do anything as her body fed on the misshapen bodies. The Tenno were withdrawing. Even Jasmina was fighting her way clear of the cavern as Phoenix's form swatted Ancients aside and swept up smaller forms to consume. Then the cavern mouth was blocked by huge tentacles.

"You will not escape!" The Master screamed. Nemesis was fighting Karl and Will at the same time, her blade flashing with theirs. Artillery fired his weapon again and again, but the projectiles were deflected or absorbed by Tenno shielding. Then the Ember Prime was sliding between his legs, somehow hooking up onto his back. He shook his body fiercely, but she was not dislodged. He could not reach her. Then the Glaive flashed and… the massive Chosen's head fell off. The Master's scream of rage and denial silenced the cavern for a moment as the ranged combatant of the Chosen died. Then the entire area was glowing green. Sickly green. "You will pay. You will _all_ pay!"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda…" Jasmina said sarcastically. "Enough with the threats, moron. Bring on the action."

"Mother!" The Master snapped. "Kill!"

Phoenix could only quail inside as her tentacles swept towards Jasmina who… slid under them. Her body reacted, sweeping low, but pain erupted. The Ember had sliced the tentacles with the Glaive. But the Glaive was _smoking!_ Jasmina dodged away, the remaining tentacles sweeping after her. But she had nowhere to go. The Master hemmed her in on one side, the battle between Nemesis and the others occupied another, the cavern wall a third. The tentacles hit Jasmina who want down in a heap, the Glaive vanishing.

_Jasmina!_ Phoenix screamed silently. She couldn't tell if Jasmina was alive or not. The toxins in the tentacles were powerful. _No!_ She screamed again.

"You lose." The Master said gleefully as Phoenix's body pulled the limp Ember Prime close. "You will all serve me!"

"_Will_ we?" Jasmina asked in a snide tone as Phoenix's body pulled her close. Then… everything stopped. Phoenix stared down at the hit of the sword that shone on her chest between the two sets of tentacles. It was angled down. "Everybody _**OUT**_!" The Ember screamed and ran. The other Tenno took to their heels, Nemesis pausing as her opponents fled.

Phoenix stared at the sword. It had… killed her. Her body was… failing. But… _She_ was in control! She paused.

"Mother." Mender's voice was soft and scared as the blob came close. "Let me tend you… I…" She trailed off as Phoenix turned to face her. "No…" The blob quailed. "No! Master!"

"You… lose…" Phoenix felt… something start within her. Something… powerful.

"I can stop it!" Mender said shrilly, folding herself up as she slid towards Phoenix. "The reaction can be stopped. Get me close. Nemesis!" But Nemesis had chased the Tenno from the cavern. "Master! I can stop it!" She slid closer as Phoenix felt her body start to fall. She was on the ground, the blob covering her. "I can stop it… Mother, hold on…"

"My name…" Phoenix said softly. It was the loudest she could speak. "…is _Phoenix_. And you… _lose_."

"Not yet." The Master said into the sudden stillness in the cavern. "And even if you _do_ stop me? My hive will continue. You cannot stop evolution." Phoenix felt odd things in her body now and willed the sword to react faster. But she could not do anything else.

"Maybe…" Phoenix said simply. 'But if your evil returns, so will _I_." She was gasping for breath. "From now until the end of time, monster… When you show your face, be afraid. Be _very_ afraid. The wrath of the Phoenix is upon you. You will… _never_… escape my wrath…"

"I have it!" Mender cried in triumph. "Master, I…" Whatever else she was going to say was cut off.

* * *

It wasn't Mender's fault. There was literally no way at _all_ that the hive healer could have possibly known that one of the organs that she had examined and dismissed as unimportant was anything _but_. Phoenix had never felt a thing. The sword had done what it had done as it always had. The Tenno who had first built the sword had planned thoroughly to defeat the enemy.

The sword was a conduit for energy the likes of which few in existence could even comprehend. That was one reason that the Tenno had not stopped in their flight. Why when Nemesis finally succumbed to the Master's stark command to stop and return to the hive, that the Tenno kept right on going, two furred forms matching their frantic paces.

The few infested who remained continued their savage but futile attacks. They knew nothing else but bestial fury. The primitive psionic shields that the massed minds who Jasmina called allies had assembled had blocked the Master's control and Jasmina hadn't had any difficulty at all in herding the feral infested close enough to strike. She had also directed the battle, with help mind you. Because all of the battle, all of the death and destruction had only been for a single purpose.

To reunite Phoenix with the sword.

That done, the sword poured energy into a small and disused organ. On humans the appendix was a rarely thought of evolutionary adjunct. It served as a holding place for impurities in the digestive system. Tenno had even less use for an appendix that humans. Mender had seen the sliver of metal in Phoenix's reproductive organs, but that too had been a diversion. Not even Phoenix herself had known the whole scope of the plan, which was intended. It had always been known that the enemy would capture her, would read her mind. Would try to decipher the plan. So, the sheer deviousness that the sword had been created to adopt was… mind boggling. Literally.

Mender managed to dampen the high energy reaction inside of Phoenix's rebuilt body. This was a good thing. But at the same time…a bad thing since the only thing holding back the true power of the Phoenix _was_ the reaction inside of Phoenix's body. Any bomb needed a trigger and anyone _sane_ making a bomb would have some kind of fuse. Some kind of delay mechanism. If Mender had been able to compare Phoenix's scans to scans taken just after she had been… altered by the sword, she likely would have freaked. But she hadn't. It wasn't possible, and even if it had been? Phoenix and Jasmina wouldn't have let her realize the danger.

The reaction that Mender had stopped would have made a mess of the cavern. Quite probably, it would have destroyed everything in the cavern except the Master himself and it would have hurt him sorely. Sorely enough that even regular Tenno weapons would have been able to kill him if not easily. But… that was only the _timer_. A backup plan.

Mender did not even have time to _scream_ as power erupted from the misshapen form underneath her. One moment, the blob was moving, undulating, and the next it was superheated vapor. The body of the one who had been Phoenix vanished as well in the titanic eruption. An eruption in the shape of a fiery bird. The Master recoiled, his tentacles shielding him somewhat as the energy slammed outward and upward, blowing the roof off the cavern. The deep cave had been a hundred meters underground. Suddenly it was open to the air.

The Master stared at the glowing ball of energy that had been his hopes for the future and snarled as it took form. A human form stood where Mender had just died. A human form composed of pure energy. Energy that was pulsing, growing stronger as he watched.

"_Die!_" He screamed, hurling every power he had at the form. None of it had any effect _whatsoever_.

_**Too late.**_ The screamed words were inhuman. More bird of prey than Tenno.

"I will not be denied!" The Master screamed even as the few remnants of his once proud army fell into ash, seared by the sheer power that stood unveiled in the cavern at long last. Phoenix had risen.

_**As long as your evil continues to rise…**_ the Master quailed as the Phoenix took a step towards him, then another. The rock of the cavern floor held glowing footprints now. _**The Phoenix will rise to meet you. No matter how long you hide. How long you plot. How much you prepare… We will meet. And you will fall. Again and again and again…**_ A glowing hand reached out to him. _**Nothing you do can change that. Nothing you do can stop that. We will end you every time you rise.**_

"This is not over!" The Master screamed, but he was immobile. His form was impervious to most weapons. But this wasn't a weapon. This was pure power. Raw, untamed power. Un_tame_able power. "I will return! I will find a weakness! I will destroy you!"

_**And if you do?**_ The Phoenix retorted easily. _**Another will rise. You cannot stop that which cannot be stopped, monster.**_ Her hand made contact, just for a moment, then she retreated, leaving a small glowing patch on his battleship armor thick hide. _**It is done. **_She seemed to wilt.

"You… I…" The Master stammered and then screamed. "What have you _done_?" He demanded in between wails.

_**How **__**do**__** you fight a disease?**_ Phoenix was kneeling now, her form shifting, fluctuating. In moments, she was lying on the ground, her form wavering as she curled up in a fetal position. _**Antibiotics… vaccines… All of that… None of it works against the Technocyte virus. But… the Technocyte virus… does. **_The master was screaming nonstop now as Phoenix slowly gasped out her last breaths. _**Using a virus… to kill a virus… Poetic…**_

Then she was still.

_I love you Carlos, Kori…_

* * *

The final release of energy from the Phoenix's body was… extreme. The blast from her body in and of itself was not huge as explosion went. Probably on the magnitude of a ten or fifteen kiloton nuclear weapon. But… It was not _just_ her body. The Master's body ignited as well, rare materials inside it quickly reaching critical mass. The resulting explosion on the coast of what had once been called the Baltic Sea by humans was visible as far away as the moon with the naked eye and as far away as _Mars_ with the proper telescopes. Few knew what had happened. Fewer still _cared_. But for those few… _nothing_ would be the same.

The wailing cry of a grieving Kubrow echoed oddly in the sudden stillness.


	19. Chapter 19

**Fire and Fury**

The Kubrow trudged through the ash, ignoring everything around her. She knew she was on the right track. She knew this was the way. But it looked nothing like it had before. Before her friend had died. Before…

"Kori." The familiar voice came from behind her but she ignored it. "Kori, darling…"

_Go away._ The Kubrow snapped.

"Darling, I know you are hurting." Nikis said as he loped forward, matching her pace effortlessly. "It's okay."

_Okay? _**_Okay_**_!_ The Kubrow snapped again. _She is __dead!__ How can it be _**_okay_**_?_

"She took the enemy out, Kori." Nikis said quietly. "And she was dead the moment she drew the sword the first time." The Kubrow snarled at him, and did not slow. "Kori… It ain't your fault."

_I know that!_ The Kubrow shouted at him. _But I need to see. I need to know._

"Me too." Nikis said sadly. The Kubrow looked at him and then turned back to her path. Straight towards where a crater lay in the distance. The fleeing Tenno had managed to get beyond high ground and the explosion had been remarkably clean. It hadn't been nuclear, even though the eruption of energy had been nuclear _scale. _No radiation was apparent. The Kubrow wasn't sure _how_ she knew that, but she did. "There… won't be much, if anything." Nikis said into the silence. The Kubrow ignored him, walking on towards where her friend had died.

Behind her, she could see occasional glimpses of the other Tenno following at a distance. Giving the two of them space. That was kind of them. In her current state, the Kubrow couldn't be sure of anything except the pain that speared through her, hurting far worse than even the enemy known as Nemesis' blade had. The landscape was a mockery of what had been lush Earth jungle. Now it was a blasted moonscape, all grey ash and rocks with craters here and there where debris had fallen back to the ground.

The Kubrow did not slow until she was climbing the wall of a particularly massive crater. She slipped and staggered, the warframe beside her steadying her without comment on the unsafe ground. She made it to the top and paused.

_What the…?_ The Kubrow said as she stared down into the crater. At the bottom, two items lay. One was the sword that had killed her friend, sheathed and quiescent now. The other… She stared at the tiny round thing and then started down.

"Kori!" Nikis snapped as she half walked, half slid down the interior wall. The Kubrow ignored him.

Kori made it down to the sword with only a few slips, growled at it for a moment, then turned her attention to the… the egg. It was larger than it had looked from a distance, about the size of the Kubrow's head. It was pure white, with only the hints of other colors circulating just under the skin.

_What is _**_this_**_?_ The Kubrow demanded as Nikis slid to a stop beside her, dusting off his warframe legs.

"I don't know." The ancient Tenno gunfighter said uneasily. "None of the other Phoenix did anything like this." He reached for the egg, only to pause as Kori growled. "What?"

_If it is a trap, let it trap me._ The Kubrow said sternly, shoving the warframe clad Tenno away from the egg as if his not inconsiderable mass was light as a feather. _You are not expendable. I am._

"No, you are not." Nikis snapped. "You are grieving. You are not thinking clearly."

"Neither of you are." A new voice said and both went still as a golden holo formed just beside the sword. "Hello Nikis, Kori." In form, the holo was a young human woman, but her eyes were old, so old. So sad. The Kubrow was drawn to her instantly, but held back. "My name is Mari. Hello Kori." At that name, Nikis went still.

"_Mari?_" Nikis asked suspiciously. "Why are you here? Now?"

"Because Kori needs help." The ghost of Mari said quietly. The Kubrow went still and the shade nodded. "The Enemy did a lot of things to you. The Command and Control circuitry is only the tip of the iceberg. You have the Enemy's DNA within you, Kori." Mari said in a gentle, soothing tone as the Kubrow slowly sank to her haunches and whined. "It is not your fault."

_I should have…_ The Kubrow trailed off as Mari's shade knelt down beside her.

"There was nothing you could have done." Mari said quietly. "But now… there is something you can do."

_What?_ Kori asked, hope starting to shine in her eyes. _Will it bring her back?_

"I am afraid not." Mari said and waited as the Kubrow groaned. "She chose her path, Kori. I wish… she would join us, but it is not to be."

_Why?_ Kori begged, her whines cutting across the silence in the crater. _You are a ghost. Why cannot she be one?_

"I am not… quite a ghost." Mari replied, her hand coming down to touch the Kubrow who stiffened as her fur ruffled. "But I _did_ die."

_I don't want to go on without her!_ Kori declared.

"That is not your choice, dear heart." Everything stopped as another holo appeared. The latest Phoenix stood over the sword, her red robe immaculate. "Kori…" She chided gently.

_I… You must stay! _Kori demanded. _I want you to stay!_

"I can't." Phoenix replied sadly. "And you cannot come." The Kubrow jumped to her feet, but somehow, Mari was holding her back.

_Let go!_ The Kubrow demanded as Nikis grabbed hold of her too.

"There has been enough death today, Kori." Phoenix said sharply. "Please." She begged the Kubrow who froze in place. "Kori… don't throw your life away."

_I…_ The Kubrow stared at the Phoenix and then she relaxed. _I… No…_ She begged. _Please, I want this pain to stop!_

"I know." Phoenix said sadly as she retreated a step until she was back over the sword. "Kori, for what it is worth, you make me very proud." The Kubrow was crying now. "I love you. Live well." Then, like a wisp of smoke, she was gone. The Kubrow gave voice to a howl of grief, but relaxed further as Nikis and Mari released her.

_Phoenix!_ Kori cried as she sank to her belly in the ash. _No…_

"She isn't gone, Kori." Mari's voice was gentle and soothing as her insubstantial hand moved across the Kubrow's fur and it ruffled as if she were petting it. "You will see her again."

_I… I will?_ The Kubrow asked, uncertain. _When?_

"I don't know, Kori." Mari replied sadly. "I am a ghost, not a god. But I do have the feeling that you will see your friend again."

_I…hope so._ Kori said, rising to her feet. _We… We need to return the sword to its resting place._

"Agreed…" Mari said and then her gaze shot to the sky. "No! Not now!" Kori went still as Mari's form vanished. Nikis moved to stand beside the Kubrow as a huge yellow… thing made of metal fell from the sky to land with a crash.

In form, it was sort of humanoid. Two legs, two arms. But one arm held a four barreled cannon of some kind. The other had a large machine with a wide bore. Whatever it was couldn't be good. It also had what looked for all the world like _feathers_ on its back. But the Kubrow was not about to snicker.

"Vay Hek." Nikis said with fervent disgust. "Of all the stupid timing…"

"Tenno." The voice of the Grineer Chancellor of Earth was almost merry. "You have found me a treasure I see. The Queens will reward me for this powerful artifact." He said, looking at the sword.

_That is not for you._ The Kubrow retorted, then she was flying as Nikis shoved her aside. The blasts from Hek's arm cannon went through where she had been. She landed on her feet with a growl.

"I do not speak to abominations." Hek declared as he swung around to target Nikis… who hadn't moved. At all. "Not going to fight, Tenno?" Hek sounded pleased.

"Who _me_?" Nikis asked in a tone of artful ignorance. "Why _should_ I?" Hek seemed confused by the Nekros' apparent levity. "Why waste energy _fighting_ when I can _watch_ you get your butt kicked?"

Hek jerked and then screamed as a dark painted arrow suddenly sprouted where one leg joined the hull of his war machine. Hek spun, but it was too late. Other shapes were leaping down the crater wall. Karl charged into the war machine, throwing it away from where Nikis stood. The Kubrow moved to stand by the Nekros as the other Tenno piled on. Will's Skana, Karl's Orthos Prime and Olim's Dual Kama flashed, tearing bits of the monstrosity's armor off. Arrow after arrow pierced the machine's heavy armor as if it were made of tissue paper and other careful shots slammed in, destroying sensor clusters and other vital machinery. Kori could only watch in awe as the Tenno tore into the mechanical monster, but then she realized… They were not doing critical damage. Every bit of damage they did was superficial.

_Kori…_ The voice was familiar. Male, strong, worried. _Swallow the egg._

_What will that do?_ Kori demanded as she padded towards where the sword lay sinister in the gathering gloom. There was no answer. She sighed and picked up the egg in her mouth. It was heavier than she had expected, but she managed.

"Kori!" Nikis protested, but that drew the machine's ire and he had to dodge a series of blasts that came from above, targeted by some kind of drone.

Kori ignored all of that, focusing on swallowing the egg. It was large. Larger than anything she had swallowed, but… it wasn't solid. It broke up as it went down, triggering her gag reflex, but she did not lose her lunch. Instead… she felt… good. Everything felt good now. Even aches and pains that she had assumed were normal for her abomination form vanished and she was standing tall and strong as power washed over her. Power and…

Kori gave a yip of fear as she felt herself suddenly encased in something. Something odd. And then pain hit her. Pain the likes of which she had never encountered. Even being shot and stabbed hadn't hurt this much. She tried to roll, tried to knock whatever was on her head to cause such pain away, but her body wouldn't move. She was trapped!

_No._ This was Mari's voice and it held both worry and pride. _You are _**_free_**_. The Enemy's controls cannot access you now, dear Kori._

_What have you _**_done_**_? _Kori demanded.

_Given you a warframe._ Mari replied as if that insanity was totally normal. _With a few improvements. Give it a try, Kori. I think you will enjoy it._

_But… why? _The Kubrow asked, nearly in tears as the pain in her head faded. Suddenly, she could see. See far more than even her canid sharp eyes had been able to. She could see things for which she had no words. Icons appeared in her vision, some marked 'infrared', others marked 'radio'. _What _**_is_**_ all this?_ She begged.

_Your future._ Mari replied. _No one will ever control you again. No one will ever enslave you again. Phoenix asked for our help and we gave it gladly. _Kori whined a little in memory, but then straightened. The Vay Hek machine was falling to the ground now. Damaged, but still operational.

_MINE!_ Kori declared as she started running to where the horrific machine was sinking to the ground, its legs peppered with arrows and the marks of bullets. Its hull was crisscrossed with slashes and cuts.

The other Tenno retreated as Kori charged, her mouth open, singing her battlecry. Hek saw her coming and spun a weapon to meet her. But something went 'thrum' on Kori's back and whatever that weapon was, it flew off the chassis in a shower of sparks. Something went click and Kori saw an icon in her vision that she hadn't before. An 8 with a 539 beside it and a word. 'Attica'. Whatever that meant.

The monstrosity tried to seal itself up inside its armored shell, but the Tenno's attack had disabled its protection. Hek's mechanical face contorted with fear as Kori leaped up to land on his fallen frame.

_**Who**__ is the abomination?_ Kori demanded as she bared her fangs in the Grineer's face.

"You cannot prevail!" The Grineer blustered. "Grineer domination is inevitable! Grineer perfection will win."

_Grineer perfection?_ Kori asked, incredulous. _Well…_ She turned and raised a leg. Hek sputtered as she made a mess all over his chassis. _**That**__ is what I think of Grineer perfection. You are so stupid, so clueless and you have no idea that you are. Sad really._

The Tenno who had been watching were all chuckling as Kori jumped down. Hek swung an arm at her and her back mounted thing gave another 'thrum'. The arm sprouted a feathered shaft and was tossed aside as Kori walked away.

_He is all yours._ Kori declared as she walked to where the sword lay silent and still. Screams of tortured metal mixed with cries of pain and alarm as the Tenno behind her took the chassis apart. She felt a presence and looked up to see the Nekros gunfighter standing there. _How do we move it?_

"You don't." A familiar voice sounded and Kori spun to see a Hydroid climb over the side of the crater, then slide down to where they stood. He nodded to Nikis. "Hek wanted the prize for himself, but his chassis will send a distress call. Not a lot of time." Kori shook her head as Chris bent down to the sword, but instead of touching it, a bag appeared in his hand. "Kori…" He said gently as she whined. The bag covered the sword and the odd energy patterns that Kori had barely noticed on her display vanished. The Hydroid picked up the sword and nodded to Nikis and Kori.

_This will happen again, won't it?_ Kori's tone was resigned.

"I am afraid so, darling." Nikis laid a hand on Kori's back. It felt... different but good.

_Then when it happens again… I want to be in the running._ Kori said flatly. Nikis and Chris both hissed but Kori was adamant. _I wear a warframe. I will follow the Code._

"Are you sure?" Chris asked softly. Kori growled at him and he shook his head quickly. "Okay, okay… I had to ask. I will tell them, but… You know that Kori's shade is going to be very unhappy with that."

_I cannot see her again, can I?_ The Kubrow's voice held little hope and Chris shook his head.

"Only the Phoenix and her companions may enter, Kori." Chris said sadly. "Carlos is going to need you, Kori. Bad." He winced as a loud cry of anger sounded. "Speaking of which…" The Hydroid seemed to melt. Both the Kubrow and the Nekros watched as the liquid that was a warframe slid out of the crater through a tiny hole.

Moments after the Hydroid's fluid vanished, an Oberon warframe ran over the top of the crater and slid down the wall.

"_Where is he?_" Carlos demanded. "_Where is that lying piece of trash?_"

_It wasn't Chris' fault, Carlos._ Kori said quietly. _And… he is gone._

"He took the sword." Carlos' words were not a question. "I will get it back." He turned, but Kori knew what to do. A single leap and she hit his hack with all four armored paws. He gave a grunt as he fell into the mud that remained from the Hydroid's departure. "What?" He demanded as he rolled over, only to pause as Kori bared her teeth.

_Your sister, my friend… gave her _**_life _**_so that we could live. _Kori said clearly and strongly. _Would you _**_dishonor _**_that? _Carlos stared at her, and Kori snarled. _She died for _**_us!_**_ For every living thing in this system! For the Grineer and Corpus even! _**_Do you dishonor her memory?_**

The Oberon stared at the Kubrow for a moment and then he slumped.

"No." Carlos sounded so wretched, so heartbroken. Kori eased up and shoved her head under his armored hand. "Ah… Kori…" It was unclear whether he was talking to the Kubrow or his departed sister.

_We will all miss her._ The Kubrow said sadly. _But she died saving us all._

"This isn't over." Nikis said from the side. Both Kori and Carlos stiffened at his words. "What happened to Nemesis? She chased the others from the cavern. So… she wasn't there when it blew."

_Nemesis…_ Kori gave herself a stern shake and rose. _She would have a fragment of the monster inside her, wouldn't she?_

"Yes." Nikis said, offering Carlos a hand which the Oberon took. "And now you know one reason why I am so angry, Carlos. Try watching that happen _forty three_ times." He said dryly. It almost covered up his rage.

"No thanks." Carlos said, swallowing hard. "Hunt?"

"We hunt." Nikis agreed. The Nekros, Oberon and Kubrow started out of the crater, ignoring the animal cries of pain behind them as the other Tenno finished off Vay Hek's monstrosity. At the top of the wall, they paused to look around. In the distance, they could see Grineer vehicles approaching. "Damn! We need to move fast."

Kori needed no further urging. Indeed, she saw a line of footprints arcing away from where the Tenno had come in. Big, heavy footprints.

_There._ Kori declared and started off after the last remnant of the evil from this particular outbreak. Her friends followed closely, hands on their weapons.


	20. Chapter 20

**Ends and Beginnings**

Kori moved through the jungle cautiously. The trio had left the blasted landscape that had resulted when the Phoenix had risen behind and now were removing through gloom. Trees arched high overhead, creating shadowy spots. Nikis paused every so often, scanning some plant or another. She didn't bother to ask. Carlos maintained his position at her side. The Oberon hadn't moved more than a meter from her side the whole time they had been travelling, except when she had squeezed through a few places that larger warframes could not fit. She hadn't slowed and he hadn't asked her to. But then she froze in place. Something had changed.

_What?_ Carlos asked silently in gesture. Kori had no idea how she knew what that gesture meant, but she was glad she did. She nodded ahead and both Carlos and Nikis went still as they saw tracks. Large boot tracks. Nemesis' tracks. But… The tracks led into a small hollow and didn't come out the other side. _Trap?_ The Oberon asked. Kori just shrugged and started off. He grabbed for her and she bared her teeth silently. He held up a finger and then made a series of gestures.

_You are too important._ Made her growl softly, but both Nikis and Carlos were blocking her way now. Against Carlos, Kori gave herself fair odds. Against the ancient Tenno gunfighter? Not so much. But Carlos was gesturing again. _Let's test… _

He took aim at the hollow with his Braton and fired a series of shots. The weapon made very little noise and Kori stared at it. Suppressed weapon. She hadn't known that he had done that to his rifle. She turned back to the hollow, but nothing happened. She shook herself and stepped forward, Nikis pacing her. The gunfighter had his hands on his pistols. Carlos was a step behind, his rifle sweeping this way and that.

It was totally anticlimactic. Nothing happened. There was nothing in the hollow. Both male Tenno looked around while Kori snuffled in the dirt, seeking a scent. But… nothing. She turned back to the others and they shrugged. She moved to the other end of the hollow, but saw nothing. No tracks. She could detect no scents.

_We can't have lost her!_ The Kubrow said with a growl. _She came in here!_

"Then she didn't leave." Nikis said, examining the sides of the small depression. But there was no sign of anything. Then he paused. "Oh… S***…" Kori and Carlos both spun to see him staring at a patch of the dirt wall.

"What?" Carlos demanded, Braton up and ready, but no enemies presented themselves. Instead of answering, Nikis pointed at something tiny. Kori leaned close, only to be pushed back by the Nekros.

"Don't touch…" Nikis warned. The Oberon hissed as he saw what Nikis had. It took the Kubrow a moment to see. "It's live." The Kubrow stared at the odd flower for a long moment and then turned to look at Nikis who…was shaking his head? The flower wasn't metallic or organic. It looked to be _both_. "Should have known they would get involved… lousy scum can't stay _dead_…"

_Nikis?_ Kori asked, concerned.

"That is a waymarker, isn't it, Nikis?" Carlos said softly. "A path and a warning to any who know what it is?"

"Yep." Nikis said softly. "Of all the lousy luck… what are _they_ doing here?"

_Who?_ Kori demanded, but Nikis just shook his head.

"Not here, not now." The Nekros said with a snarl as his right hand pistol came to his hand. "Carlos…"

Kori gave a yip as Carlos grabbed her and slung her behind him. Her ire faded as he followed her, as fast as he could run. Nikis stepped back, never taking his gaze –or his aim- from the odd flower thing. Was it Kori's imagination that it was opening? Nikis' pistol belched fire and Kori went still as the flower screamed. Again and again, the gunfighter fired, pounding the odd flower into the dirt. She shivered as an eye opened on the flower. It… looked at her and then exploded as Nikis put a round into it. Kori did not move as Nikis retreated from the hollow, tossing a small device in that hissed and then exploded into flames.

_What the hell?_ Kori demanded. _What was that? Why such extreme measures?_

"We can hope they dissect Nemesis." Nikis' tone was angry. "But… with our luck? They will _repurpose_ her."

_Who?_ Kori demanded. _Who needs such overkill? The Enemy did, but that wasn't them._

"That was a _Sentient_ flower, Kori." Carlos said quietly. Kori went totally still and Carlos nodded. "And as for 'overkill'? No such thing when dealing with Sentients. No such thing at _all_."

"We better get out of here and report this." Nikis said, his shoulders falling. "I haven't heard about any other such flowers being seen. If this is the first of a new invasion…" He shook his head. "We need to be ready. At least we can fight them a lot easier than the ones who made you initially. But… They also had a _lot_ more resources. And they always snuck around the edges."

_But... what _**_was_**_ that?_ Kori demanded. _Where did Nemesis go?_

"We don't know how they do it." Nikis said uneasily. "But that flower is a form of transportation. They took her."

_Then Phoenix's sacrifice was meaningless._ Kori slumped with a whine, but paused as Nikis laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Not so." The ancient Tenno sounded more alive than he had been. "As bad as the Sentients were -and are-…" He qualified, nodding to where the flower had been. "The True Enemy was worse. Far worse. The Sentients _enslaved_ humans. They did not casually slaughter them."

_I…_ Kori sighed and nodded. _What do we do?_

"We report this." Carlos said softly. "And then, we get ready."

"We need to find each and every repurposed form." Nikis said with a sigh. "Might take a while, but we better be thorough. If we miss one…" He gave an exaggerated shudder.

_What about Nemesis?_ Kori asked as they turned to go.

"Oh…" Nikis turned and his gaze swept the area as he chuckled. "I don't think she will be _our_ problem again." Kori stared at him and his chuckle turned evil. "Do you really think she will submit tamely to their poking and prodding?" Kori shook her head and Nikis nodded. "They had a set routine. They had a day to enslave a prisoner. If they couldn't? They didn't waste effort. After a day, they rendered their prisoners down to protoplasmic goo." Kori gagged and Nikis nodded. "They were _all_ about efficiency."

_So… what now?_ Kori asked as they started off at a lope.

"Now we start cleaning up the mess." Nikis said with a sigh… Then all three came to a sudden stop as something landed in front of them. Nikis and Carlos had their weapons up and Kori felt her own weapon turn to bear as the tiny robot rose and scrutinized them. Then everything stopped as a holo appeared in front of them.

"We will maintain a discrete monitor." The Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy said quietly. "Was it what I fear? Sentient?" Kori nodded and the old Corpus woman looked sick. "I will… make sure this area is kept under strict surveillance."

_The Sentients could and did corrupt any technology._ Kori protested. _Anything you put here will be vulnerable._

"I know." The Corpus clergywoman replied, her face and tone uneasy. "But it took them time. This technology is not any they absorbed." She shook her head. "At the very least, it will allow _some_ warning _when_ they return. Which they will." Neither Tenno moved. She shook her head. "We stopped one threat and a worse threat has appeared."

_**You**__ did not stop it! We did!_ Kori snapped, only to pause as Nikis laid a hand on her shoulder and gave a warning squeeze. She shook it off. _We paid the price!_

"I know." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "For what it is worth, here…" A datamass extruded from the robot and settled on the ground. "That is all of the remaining data on Command and Control proxies. All other files have been wiped and can be corroborated as having been wiped." Kori bared her teeth and the old woman nodded. "I know you hate me. I know why. What is more, I know I deserve it. I failed you. I nearly failed us all. Tenno… Please. Protect her." The ancient woman begged. Then, the holo vanished. The robot fell over and started to burn feebly.

_I don't care what they say!_ Kori snapped, stepping forward to make water over the burning robot. _I don't trust them! _She snarled at it and then turned away.

"No one is asking you to, darling." Nikis said gently. "You are a mess." He would have touched her, but she shied away.

_Don't touch…_ She paused as something went hiss. She turned and stared at Carlos who was retracting a hand with a hypo in it. _You…? _Hurt betrayal sang in her tone as she fell. But the ground was coming up slowly, so slowly.

* * *

Kori ran through mists of dream. Mists of nightmare. She didn't know where she was or what she was doing. But she knew she had to move. Something was chasing her. Something huge and monstrous. A booming laugh had her quailing.

"You will never escape!" Nemesis declared. "Never." The armored female was chortling as she appeared. "All this and you scum think you have won."

"Bad and worse… But… The Sentients did not want to _exterminate_ humanity." Kori said quietly, aware that she was speaking normally. "Hard to rule a kingdom of corpses. But you… You are gone."

"Am I?" Nemesis mocked. "Am I truly?"

"This is a remnant of whatever you did to me." Kori said firmly. "Fragments of my subconscious given form in this dream world."

"Is that so?" Nemesis asked, her tone gleeful. "Well, then I guess I can't do… _this!_" She swept out her blade, catching Kori in the side and tossing the Kubrow several feet to land in a heap. "Silly dog. Know your masters!"

"I…do…" Kori managed to grate out as Nemesis stomped closer. "_And _**_you_**_ are not them!_" She screamed. She was on her feet again, her warframe close about her as Nemesis drew back a pace. "You do not own me! You do not command me!"

"Fine." Nemesis said with a snarl. "I _like_ the hard way." Her blade was suddenly crackling with electricity.

"Do you?" Kori asked, an overpowering calm settling over her.

"Do you _really_?" Another voice spoke from nearby and Kori's eyes went huge as the Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy appeared beside her. "Word of advice, monster. Leave her alone." The old woman's hands were folded in front of her. She carried no weapon. Did she _need_ one?

"Or what?" Nemesis scoffed. "An old crone and a silly dog. Some threats."

"Fool." The Reverend Mother shook her head. "You were a fool _before_ you were changed into a monster, _Marlena_." The name bit through the air as if it were a sword. Nemesis jerked and the Reverend Mother smiled. It was _not_ a nice smile. "Do you _really_ think you are the _only_ monster here?" Kori stared in amazement as Nemesis retreated a step. Then another. "You have traded a bad master for _worse_ masters, girl." The old Corpus woman said sadly. "You are doomed, Marlena. _Nothing_ can save you now."

"Stop calling me that!" Nemesis snapped. "My name is _Nemesis_!"

"No, your name is _Marlena_." The Reverend Mother said in a voice that was almost kind. Almost. "You are a fool, a coward and a micromanaging moron. You always have to do exactly the _wrong_ thing." At every word, the armored form jerked back another step. The Reverend Mother sighed. "But in the end… I know your family _did_ love you. Once."

"_Get out of my mind!_" Nemesis screamed.

"You entered _her_ mind." The Reverend Mother said calmly. "You attacked her. There is a very old saying… 'You reap what you sow'. My own people know all about that." Her face turned sad. "The Board are going to learn that too someday soon. The only question is how many innocent lives are lost in the process." She took a step towards Nemesis whose energy shield flared in between them. "Silly girl…" The Reverend Mother chided. "Do you really think _fleeing_ will help?" The shield flared again and _died_, Nemesis staring at her arm and then at the Corpus woman.

Kori went still as Nemesis screamed, a heartbreaking sound of pure terror. She backed another step away, but somehow, the Reverend Mother was right beside her, a hand reaching to touch the armored form on the brow. Nemesis collapsed in a heap, sobbing.

"That's a good girl." The Reverend Mother said, her tone oddly gentle. "Go on. Go back to your new friends."

"No…" Nemesis begged, her armor falling away. Suddenly, she was a young human girl clad in a tattered jumpsuit. "No…"

"Go on." The Reverend Mother commanded. "And _don't_ come back. If I catch you in her mind again, I will not be so kind. I _will_ destroy you."

"But…" Nemesis tried to speak, but the Reverend Mother touched her again. Nemesis screamed again, loud and long. Then she vanished. The Reverend Mother looked at where the enemy form had been and then sighed deeply.

"They will return…" She paused. "I want to call you Lilly, but that is not right, is it?" The Kubrow couldn't move, couldn't speak. The fear of the ancient seeming woman was exuding _defined_ overpowering. "Aw crap…" The Reverend Mother said softly and sat. She beckoned Kori. "I won't hurt you. Please?" She begged. "I… Just a touch. One… last touch…" Kori was amazed to see tears start to fall. "I have done so much. Hurt so many."

"She is in shock." A new voice spoke from nearby and Kori could not react as a human form appeared. The woman wore blue robes and some kind of odd blue mask that covered her head and face down to her jaw. "Easy, Kori…" The woman said, rubbing Kori's neck gently. The touch was soothing.

"Kori?" The Reverend Mother asked weakly.

"The one who took the burden of the Phoenix was named Kori." The newcomer said quietly, still calming Kori. "This one took the name to honor her sacrifice.."

"Apt." The Reverend Mother folded her hands in her lap. "Lilly is gone. I know that. Even her body is gone. Dissolved by their evil. But…" She gave a sob as Kori stared at her. "It hurts. I knew it would, Lotus, but oh my _god_ it hurts."

_I…_ Kori managed to get the word out. _What was that? The Enemy?_

"No." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "The Enemy that you faced is gone. For now." She qualified when the blue garbed woman tensed. "I know they will return, Lotus. You don't need to convince _me_. The Board may not be able to find their asses with both hands and a map, but I _do_ know history." Kori jerked. _The_ Lotus? The _Lotus_ was comforting her?

"This isn't real, Kori. You are asleep and dreaming." The Lotus said gently. "You needed the help. I do what I can for those who look to me." Kori stared at her, eyes wide and the Lotus smiled. It was a gentle smile. "You have chosen to follow the path of the one you loved."

"A hard road." The Reverend Mother said calmly. "A dangerous one, but…" She too smiled, sadly. "A worthy road. I wish I could see my daughter one more time, but… this is better. You will not trust me and you have no _reason_ to. Many reasons not to. Be… be well… Lilly. I will call you that one last time. If we meet again, it may be as adversaries. I hope not. But I am a realist." She held out a hand and Kori surprised herself by reaching out and licking it. The Reverend Mother smiled, nodded to Kori and the Lotus, and then vanished.

"That was very brave, Kori." The Lotus said, kneeling beside the Kubrow.

_I… I miss her…_ Kori whined softly.

"I know." The Lotus ruffled her fur gently. How did she manage to do that through the armor? "But you are not alone. Now or ever."

_Am I… really Tenno?_ Kori asked softly. _And did the alterations change the command and control circuits?_

"I don't know." The Lotus said gently. "We will find out. Karl has asked to sponsor you." Kori looked at her and the Lotus chuckled. "Nikis did too. I worried it might come to blows before Carlos told them _both_ to shut up." Kori's eyes went wide and the Lotus chuckled again. "He said it was _your_ choice, not theirs." Kori sighed and relaxed a bit. "You have time now. For now, the Enemy is stopped."

_If this happens again, I want to be in the running._ Kori said sternly. The Lotus sighed, but nodded.

"I do not like the idea of losing any of you." The Lotus gave Kori a gentle hug and then withdrew a bit. "But I do understand your point of view. I will keep you in mind, Kori."

_That is all I ask._ Kori said quietly. _Thank you._

* * *

Kori woke to a silent room. She gave a small sigh as she cracked her eyes. What met her eyes had her smile a little. Carlos sat nearby, his posture worried.

"I apologize, Kori." Carlos said quietly. "Knocking you out was rude. "

_Yes it was._ Kori said as she rose to her feet. She strode to where Carlos was sitting. She snapped her teeth in his face, but then made a snickering noise as Carlos retreated. _Oh, calm down!_ She leaned up against the Oberon. _I lost my friend. You lost your **sister**…_

"Kori…" Carlos laid a hand on her head and she leaned into his touch. "It wasn't your fault."

_Nor yours._ Kori agreed. _But… for your sister… my friend…_ She paused and then spoke softly. _Sister to Brother, yours in life and death._

"Kori… I…" Carlos shook his head. "It has to be your choice. For you. Not her."

_I want to make a difference. _Kori said quietly. _Now I can. I need to find out what was done to me and I want to help. Will you help me?_ She begged.

"Of course." Carlos hugged the Kubrow tight. "Sister."


End file.
